Triquetra
by writerchic16
Summary: When the tour bus stops in San Francisco, Fi and Molly must realize their magical destiny after they encounter the three most powerful witches in existence. [Charmed crossover] [COMPLETE]
1. Prologue

**Triquetra**

Summary: Fi and Molly are put under the magical protection of half angel Paige Matthews.

A/N: Wow, I can't believe I'm back in the So Weird section (especially when I have two other stories to finish…hehe). You can all thank youtube for that. For some reason I wanted to look up So Weird, and spent part of last night watching "Listen" and "Medium." Since I'm a huge Charmed fan, I couldn't help but think of this…and now I have to write it.

For those of you who actually remember my other So Weird story (which shall remain nameless due to the great shame it brings me), you might see some similarities. For instance, Molly and Fi are witches in this one too, and they have to fight a demon. You also might see some similar aspects between mine and other crossovers – the So Weird gang is in San Francisco because Molly has a gig there (what can I say? It's the easiest way to do any crossover with this show). But, it is original in that I have really grown as a writer since my second story, and hopefully you'll see the difference in that I won't have a gazillion things going on at once, and that it will be unique in it's own way.

And, breathe easy – I don't think this will end up being fifteen huge chapters long.

Timeline: Fi is 16 and just coming back on the tour after Annie went to live with her parents; it's right after the Charmed finale. Yeah, I changed the timelines – Fi should be in her 20s, but whatever, it worked better this way.

* * *

**Prologue**

"You wanted to see me?" Paige Matthews asked with some hesitation. She knew what this little meeting was about, but part of her was still hoping that she was wrong. She and the person she was meeting were in the unofficially-titled Elder land, a heavenly all-white place on a higher plane.

The Elder, Sandra, gave Paige a sympathetic smile. "Paige, I realize you and your sisters are trying to get back on your feet after that horrible ordeal with Billie and Christy. And that you are just starting your life with Henry."

"I'm sensing a 'but' in there," Paige deadpanned, trying to keep the dread out of her tone.

"Well, yes, there is," Sandra replied, ignoring the groan Paige let out. "And normally I would ask any other whitelighter, but this case deserves special attention."

"They always do. All right, let me have it," Paige huffed.

"Her name's Molly Phillips," Sandra revealed, pausing when Paige's eyes widened. "What?"

Shaking her head in disbelief, Paige answered, "It's nothing, but she's one of my favorite singers. I can't believe she's a witch."

"She doesn't believe it yet. She's received psychic visions all her life, but refuses to acknowledge them. Molly also has the power to read minds, but that one hasn't developed," Sandra informed her.

Paige stared at her. "Don't most witches only have one power?"

"Yes, there is strong magic in her family," Sandra informed her. "Which has been passed down to her daughter, 16-year-old Fiona Phillips."

Paige raised an eyebrow. "So what is this, like a two-for-one kinda thing?"

"You could call it that," Sandra chuckled, then immediately became serious. "Bur Paige, that is not what makes this such an extraordinary case. Fiona, or Fi, as her family calls her, has the unusual ability of sight. This means she can sense, and is drawn to, supernatural elements. Like her mother, she also has a secondary ability she doesn't know about – molecular combustion."

After digesting the information for a minute, Paige mused, "Hm, Molly gets visions, and Fi can blow stuff up. Maybe I should get my sisters to help me out with this one."

"By all means, go ahead. But there is another thing you should know," Sandra warned her.

Paige was almost afraid to ask. "What?"

"Fiona has been in contact with many different supernatural beings before, almost as many as you have." When Paige's mouth dropped open, Sandra nodded, "Yes, she's had an exciting few years, and only dropped her other worldly explorations after a warning from her deceased father, who appeared to her as a ghost. However, she has recently picked up her old habits, and many demons aren't happy – most of the time she ends up helping people through her encounters."

"So a demon is after her, and I have to protect her," Paige supplied, knowing the drill.

"Not exactly," Sandra corrected. "You see, Fiona, not so much her mother, is destined to become…like a Charmed One, destroying the evil beings she comes across. Of course, you can step in if the situation becomes dire, but for the most part your assignment is to help her and her mother adapt to their powers and learn how to use them effectively."

"That's…different…" Paige trailed off, unsure of how to react.

Running a hand through her shot blonde hair, her white Elder robe wrinkling as it did so, Sandra sighed. "Paige, there is one…minor obstacle you might have to face. You see...Molly's husband – Fiona's father – was a human heavily involved in supernatural activities, always searching for the truth. He got to know too much, and…a demon killed him when Fiona was three, making it look like a car accident."

Paige's heart went out to her newest charges. "Oh my God."

"Yes, it was quite tragic," Sandra replied, her tone full of remorse. "But…what you have to deal with is that Molly knew, to some extent, what her husband was involved in. She blames…that…for taking him away from her, and is a firm nonbeliever, no matter what her daughter finds. So while it might be easy to convince Fi of who you are, and what she is…"

"Molly is an entirely different story," Paige finished, then let out a breath. "Whew, looks like I have my work cut out for me."

"That's why I enlisted you for this. It's definitely 'Charmed One' caliber," Sandra replied, a small understanding grin on her face.

Leaning against a nearby golden pillar, Paige crossed her arms. "You know, Sandra, there are times when being Charmed really sucks."

* * *

"Paige!"

Glancing up, she smiled as she saw one of her white lighter friends orb in, which was the mode of transportation they used. She was still in "Elder land," sitting on a bench and going through the files on Molly and Fi the Elder had given her. "Hey, Rick! What's going on?"

"Did Sandra give you your assignment…well, assignments?" Rick Phillips asked, an anxious look on his face.

Paige paused. "Wait, how'd you know I got two?"

"Because, um…" Rick trailed off sitting next to her. "They're my family, Molly and Fi, or…were, anyway. The Elders just told me they would be giving them a whitelighter, and that it would be you."

Paige gaped at him, completely floored. "You're…_you're_ the husband who was killed by a demon? Why didn't you tell me? And more importantly…why weren't _you_ assigned to them?"

"Well, I didn't tell you because most whitelighters don't talk about their lives, at least that's what I'm told," Rick answered. He had only been chosen to be a whitelighter a week ago.

"And…"

"And whitelighters have this thing about not assigning dead family members to living family members. Something about it being too painful for both parties," Rick replied, a note of resentment and frustration in his voice.

Noticing that, Paige winced. "They might be right about that one."

"No, Paige, you don't understand," Rick protested. "I've…I've been trying to contact Molly and Fi since I died, and Fi has been trying to contact me."

Paige was silent for a moment. "You know, that's against the rules. I mean, it's true I've never been a fan of Elder rules, but I have to agree with them in that respect. You have to move on. Otherwise they won't be able to."

"I know that, and if it was just a matter of me missing them I wouldn't even attempt it," Rick admitted.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Paige pressed, "Then what is it?"

"Fi's been in trouble for a long time, as I'm sure you've been told. I've had to get her out of a few life-threatening situations. I guess…I guess without knowing it, I've been trying to be her unofficial whitelighter," Rick conceded. "Someone to get her out of trouble. That's why I was so happy when I found out I was going to be a whitelighter."

Paige smiled, knowing that only a few humans who did heroic things in their lives were picked for this job. "You deserve it."

Rick lowered his eyes in embarrassment. "Thanks, but that's not what I meant. I figured now I could finally just orb down to save Fi whenever she needed me."

"Once again, you're not allowed to do that," Paige reminded him.

"Yeah, as I found out. Every time I tried to orb to Fi, the Elders intervened. They warned me that if I kept doing that, they would make me back into a ghost," Rick informed her. "Let's just say I'm more than a little relieved that they finally gave Fi and Molly a whitelighter. Took them long enough."

Paige laughed. "Well, don't worry. They'll be safe as long as I'm watching them."

"That's actually why I orbed to see you," Rick hesitated, then took Paige's hand in his. "I can't…thank you enough for doing this. I know it's going to be tough, but…can you please, just tell them I said, hi, and that I love them. My son Jack, too, if you get a chance to see him."

Paige patted his hand in reassurance. "I promise I will. But not at first, though. They'll be freaked out enough."

"Perfectly understandable." Putting his head in his hands, Rick moaned, "I just wish I could see them."

In the process of gathering the files, Paige paused, getting an idea. "You know, the Elders owe me quite a few favors. I'll see what I can do."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Did you ever go back to a place you used to live, but haven't visited in a long time? You half expect everything to be exactly how you left it, including the people. You don't think that they're changing…even though you're out there in the world doing some changing of your own. _

_But then you find that your favorite restaurant isn't there anymore, the nice old lady down the street passed away, and your best friend who used to live right next door went off to college. That's when it hits you – that's not your place anymore._

_But what if you haven't moved on?_

_People always say change is a good thing._

…_is it?

* * *

_

"Fiona, come on!" Molly Phillips yelled, throwing her last duffel bag into the tour bus storage space.

Sitting on the stoop of her house, 16-year-old Fiona shut down her laptop and carefully put it in its case. Slinging it over her shoulder, she dashed down the walk and climbed the bus stairs. "Explain to me why we're leaving before eight in the morning?"

"We want to be at the next hotel by tomorrow afternoon," Molly informed her. At Fi's dubious look, she sighed. "Ned's words, not mine."

"I thought so," Fi laughed, making her way towards what would be her room for the rest of the summer. The rest of the Phillips-Bell clan were already boarded, mentally prepping themselves for yet another cross-country road trip.

Fi wasn't sure if she was ready herself. The past month since the school year ended and she went home had been tense. Annie had just gone back to her parents only a week before, and the gaping hole she left behind had been painfully obvious. It gave Fi a sense that she had big shoes to fill…for her own family.

The thought had even crossed her mind that Molly had been more upset about Annie leaving, than happy about her coming home. She wasn't sure if she could take that.

Sitting on the bed she had made the night before, Fi booted up her laptop once again. She didn't even bother checking her website; she had abandoned that when she moved to Seattle. The twins had been disappointed, but she had made it up to them by telling them how she lost her ability of sight. They had begged to sleep in Fi's room one night, and nagged Fi for a story about a recent encounter with the paranormal. Fi had obliged, for the sole purpose of getting them to go to bed.

"_Please, Fi?" Maggie begged, putting on the biggest puppy dog face she could muster._

_Miranda mirrored her sister's look, widening her eyes a little more. "Yeah, you have to tell us at least one!"_

_Maggie nodded. "Oh, make it the one about vampires, or the banshee, or aliens…"_

_Fi stared at her cousins for a long minute before letting out a breath. "Okay, fine. But you guys gotta promise not to tell anyone." The two eagerly held out their hands for a pinkie swear. _

_When all three shook, Fi recounted everything from the beginning – how she met the Will 'O the Wisp,, how she had read the wrong spell, and how Annie helped her fix everything. "Then, the spunkie told me that if I didn't read a spell to take away my sight, demons would come after me and my family. So…I did. I read a spell, I passed my ring along to Annie, and that was it. I haven't had contact with the paranormal since."_

_The twins were quiet for a few minutes. Finally, Miranda protested, "But, Fi, how could you do that? You're a witch. You can't lose your power just like that."_

"_What?" Fi replied, a little taken aback. "What gave you the idea that I was a witch?"_

_Maggie rolled her eyes. "We figured it out, silly. You read that spell when you came to visit us, remember?"_

"_Look, guys, that was just part of the territory of having the sight, okay? And…and, all right, magic sort of runs in the family on my mom's side," Fi argued. "But that doesn't mean that I'm a witch. Don't mention it again, especially if I'm on the phone with my mom. She doesn't like me talking about that stuff."_

_Quiet again. "Fi…what happened to you?" Miranda whispered._

_Next thing she knew, the twins had bolted from the room. Sighing, Fi fell back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, Miranda's question rolling around in her head._

That was when she realized that giving up her sight had been a terrible mistake. She had spent all night thinking, rehashing her conversation with the spunkie over and over. _When I gave up my sight,_ Fi thought bitterly,_ I gave up the one way to protect my family, to sense when danger was coming. Demons are still mad at me – I can feel it. All Br…darn, still can't remember his name…he did was make me more vulnerable. I _need_ my sight back._

It wasn't simply that she needed her sight. She missed it, a lot. Tracking down the supernatural had been a part of her. Miranda was right in that respect; she couldn't just lose something like that.

She snapped out of her reverie when her messenger service indicated that she had mail. Clicking the button that directed her to her inbox, Fi was confused to find a message waiting for her…without the sender's email address displayed next to it.

Curiosity overwhelming her fear of spam viruses, she clicked it open. Her jaw dropped at the message. It was a spell, and absolutely nothing else.

"'To Regain Sight'," Fi read aloud. She cast her eyes upward. "Daddy?"

Clearing her throat, she chanted:

"I had eyes, but I closed them tight,

Now I once again let them see light."

Fi quickly looked down at her father's ring, which she had put back on her finger out of habit when Annie left it for her. The engraving had disappeared again the minute it made contact with her finger. She waited it for it to reappear.

When seconds passed and nothing happened, Fi began to worry that her father hadn't sent the whole spell. It had been on the short side, after all…

Suddenly, it _did_ begin to glow. The engraving formed in a flash of golden light. To her surprise, the warm light didn't stop there. It spread to cover her entire body, and vanished an instant later.

Fi's smile was that of satisfaction. _Take that, Bricriu.

* * *

_

Wandering into the bus common area, Molly was vaguely aware that it was so early that the sun was rising. However, for some reason she was dressed and up for the day.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. Ever since Fi got back, which she was deliriously happy about, she'd had this…overwhelming sense of impending doom. She knew she was being dramatic, but there wasn't any other way to describe it. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she was being irrational, and that she hadn't had a vision in over a year, she couldn't shake the feeling.

Molly stopped in her tracks at that last thought. _She hadn't had a vision in over a year_? Where had that come from? Was she now judging the validity of her anxiety based on if she got a vision or not?

"That's it. I'm going insane."

She didn't realize she said it out loud until Irene and Ned stared at her. Smirking, Irene held up her coffee mug in mock cheers. "Finally, a new member to the club."

"What are you two doing up? Ned, I thought we weren't going to get on the road again until noon!" Molly chided, taking a seat next to Irene.

From behind the wheel, Ned explained, "I thought it'd be better if we were in San Francisco and at the hotel by the time the kids got up. Give cabin fever less of a chance to make itself at home."

"Good thinking," Molly chuckled. They'd only been on the tour for two weeks, a city per week. Yet it seemed like every time they were on the bus for more than a few hours, the kids would start to get restless. "I don't know what's gotten into them."

Taking another sip of her coffee, Irene replied, "It makes sense, Mol. Everybody hasn't been on tour in so long, especially Fi. Plus the fact that for once we have all four of our children on the tour at the same time. Besides, even you get antsy the first few weeks of a tour."

"I do not!" Molly retorted, then paused at Irene's smug face. "Shut up."

Irene laughed. "I didn't say a word."

"Yeah, but you were thinking that I've been so moody and distant lately, you hope that at the next hotel, we can get rooms at opposite ends of the building," Molly rambled, then raised an eyebrow at Irene's shocked expression. "What?"

Irene was actually gaping at her. "That's…that's _exactly_ what I was thinking. Word for word. H-how could you know that?"

Ned put in, "It wasn't the first time you've read someone's mind in the past few weeks. Remember when you could tell that Jack had snuck into a local bar when he barely got onto the bus?"

Molly made a conscious effort not to roll her eyes. "Do you two hear yourselves? Yes, the only way I could have possibly known that Jack snuck out to that bar was by reading his mind. Never mind the stench of alcohol seeping out of his pores!"

"There were other times…" Irene began.

Molly sent her a glare. "You're being ridiculous, both of you! You're starting to sound like Fi! So I guess I'll have to tell you what I tell her – there's always a perfectly logical explanation. _Let it go_."

Stunned into silence, Irene and Ned respected her wishes. Unable to take it after a while, Molly made herself a cup of coffee and attempted conversation. "So, ah, Irene – what are you doing up?"

Still concerned but willing to let the subject drop, Irene answered, "Business call. Wanted to check into the club you're performing at tonight, and apparently they don't respond for hours unless you're one of the first five to leave a message."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Molly replied, somehow knowing that was what she wanted to hear.

Once Molly sat down again, Irene gave her a once over. "You know, Mol, I didn't want to say anything…"

"But you will anyway, per usual," Molly teased.

Chuckling softly, Irene continued, "…but you've been so…_stressed_ lately, ever since Fi came home. Did you two have a fight or something?"

Molly paused, taking an extra few seconds to stir her coffee. "Not exactly. The problem is that we _haven't_ had a fight. In fact, we've barely had a full conversation. She's…she's such a different person that I don't even know how to talk to her anymore."

"You had to expect that. No one stays the same when they've been away for so long, especially at that age," Irene pointed out.

Letting out a breath, Molly replied, "That's not it. You know what made Fi so…what's the word…unique?" When Irene nodded, she went on, "It's not there any more! She's completely lost interest in it. And I think that's what's caused this change in her."

"Well, you know how…interests come and go," Irene assured her. "It must have been just a phase. Besides, wasn't that what you wanted all along? Weren't you unable to sleep at night, worried that some demon would…you know."

"And that's between us, got it?" Molly reminded her, lowering her voice.

Irene sighed. "No, I was planning on telling your kids that you were petrified that hell itself would rise up to get them. Mol, you think I was born yesterday?"

"Sorry, it's just that the last thing I need is for you to let something slip, and Fi get all riled up again," Molly explained. "And truth is, I'm glad she's not into that stuff anymore. But call me crazy…"

"I always do," Irene joked.

Molly gave her an exasperated look. "I could have sworn I heard her and Clu talking about a ghost in the last city we were at, and she made a point of keeping it from me. What does that mean?"

"That Fi's learned somewhere along the line that it doesn't make her look particularly sane if she rambles on about supernatural beings," Irene supplied. "And that you, my friend, are a worry wart."

Molly had to concede that she had a point. "I know, it's just that I can't shake the feeling that…" Molly trailed of, putting a hand to her head. "…you should answer your phone before I hurl it through a window. Don't you hear that?"

"Molly, it's not ringing. What's wrong –" Irene was cut off as her cell phone let out its usual piercing ring. Getting up to answer it, she stared at Molly, wide-eyed. "You gotta admit, that is creepy."


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: I think they did show what Annie's screen name was in an episode, but I'm too lazy to find out, so I made one up.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Rockerbaby:** So Annie, how's life on the road?

**Panthereyes: **Lol, I was about to ask you the same question.

**Rockerbaby:** I asked you first!

**Panthereyes**: Ok, ok. Well, it's kind of like being on the tour bus, but now instead of going from state to state, we're globe hopping.

**Rockerbaby:** Sounds awesome!

**Panthereyes**: It is! I've met so many different people, and it's so nice knowing that one of them isn't going to be a real magician or voodoo expert. I'm free! Isn't it great to not have to deal with the supernatural anymore, Fi?

**Rockerbaby:** Well…

**Panthereyes**: Fi?

**Rockerbaby**: There's, ah, something I've been meaning to tell you…

**Panthereyes:** What happened? I thought that spunkie said you had to give up your sight to protect your family!

**Rockerbaby:** Daddy sent me an email

**Rockerbaby:** Annie?

**Panthereyes**: …oh my gosh

**Rockerbaby:** At least I think it was from Daddy. It didn't say anything. It…was just a spell to give me my sight back. I read it, and I've encountered a ghost and a pixie since. Not to mention that yesterday, my lamp blew up…when it was off.

**Panthereyes**: So much for a break, huh?

**Rockerbaby:** Tell me about it. But…

**Panthereyes**: but?

**Rockerbaby:** I missed it, a lot. It's sort of nice.

**Panthereyes:** Well, as long as you're happy, I guess. I don't know, I don't think was ever really into that stuff. Even though I kept running into it…I always wanted to be normal.

About to respond, Fi froze as Annie's words sank in. She was a little shocked. She was always under the misconception that Annie had been like her, on a quest to learn the truth. It had been comforting knowing there was someone else like her. She had even gone so far as to assume that there might be others around the world with her gift, who liked it and used it to its fullest potential.

She should have known better.

"Hey, Fi," Clu greeted, popping his head in the open doorway. "Dad said we should be in San Francisco in like twenty minutes." Ever the sensitive one, Clu noticed her face and sat on the bed, close to where she sat on the computer chair. "Fi, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing…" Fi trailed off, then relented at Clu's earnest expression. "All right. I was talking to Annie, and I found out that the one thing I thought we had in common, we never really did."

"You mean the weird stuff? Totally! Exploring the paranormal was so much more fun with you!" Clue replied.

Fi smiled, feeling herself blush. "How so?"

"Well, the way Annie did it, she would find something, and investigate all by herself!" Clu whined. "We weren't buddies, like you and me."

Blinking back a tear in her eyes, Fi asked, "You really missed me?"

"Of course! Especially Mrs. P. I remember, Carey told me about when they were going to visit you for Thanksgiving. The bus broke down, and she was ready to bike over a mountain to find a service station," Clu laughed.

Fi couldn't help but beam at him. "Thanks, Clu."

"No problem!" Clu returned her smile, then noted the online conversation. "Whoa, that's Annie, right? Tell her I said hi!"

Days ago, the abrupt subject change from her to Annie would have annoyed Fi..

Now she only laughed at his childlike eagerness and started typing.

* * *

Jack tapped his fingers on the common room table to the tune his mother was playing on her guitar. "Mr. Bell, I thought you said we were almost there."

"We ran into a little traffic. Just have to get gas, then we'll be at the hotel in a few minutes," Ned assured him.

Letting out an exasperated breath, Jack turned his attention to the rest of the common room. They've all been bored stiff for the past hour, so for entertainment Molly had started singing "In the Darkness." She was sitting on the couch next to Irene, while he, his sister, Clu and Carey were seated around the table.

Studying his sister for a moment, Jack couldn't help but wrinkle his brow in concern. She wasn't the old, curious, excitable Fi he grew up with. She was…calmer, more composed…more mature. Heck, she had found a pixie in Salt Lake City, and he hadn't heard a word about it. She didn't mention their father every day anymore. She talked about normal stuff now, and frankly, he wasn't sure if he would ever get used to having a normal sister.

"Dude, calm down," Carey suggested, obviously noting the way Jack was fidgeting. "He said we'll be there in a few minutes."

Jack immediately stopped his tapping. "Sorry. It's just…" He lowered his voice and indicated his mother and his sister. "I can't wait to get off this bus and away from them."

"I know what you mean. Even my mom can't take it anymore," Carey laughed.

Jack looked again at Fi, who was using her laptop, then to Molly, singing with her eyes almost closed, oblivious to the rest of the world. Taking on a western accent, Jack joked, "All I know is, this bus ain't big enough for the both of 'em."

Strumming her guitar, Molly softly sang the familiar lyrics. She was halfway through the song when she began to get light headed. She dropped the guitar.

"Molly! What's the matter?" Irene exclaimed, putting a worried hand on her shoulder.

Not able to speak, Molly shook her head, trying to convey the message that she'd be fine. Though she wasn't sure she was. The rest of the bus was fading away, slowly being replaced by blackness.

_What's happening to me?_ She wondered, panic filling her heart.

Suddenly, the scene wasn't black. She was still on the bus, but…she was watching the view from the side window.

_They were stopped at the gas station. She was standing, looking out at the convenience store across the street, and for some reason couldn't move._

_Fi came out of the store, a half-full plastic grocery bag in her hand. She gave a quick glance both ways, then stepped onto the pavement. Reaching the middle of the road, Fi became like a deer caught in the headlights. A huge delivery truck was swerving towards her at a hundred miles-per-hour._

Molly gasped for breath as she snapped out of it, gripping onto Irene like the woman was a life preserver.

Irene made a point of removing Molly's hand and putting a supportive arm around her shoulders. "Molly? What the hell…"

"I'm fine," Molly insisted, sitting back on the bench to regain her composure.

Fi was at her side, as well as Jack. Fi knelt in front of her. "Mom? Are you okay? You had a dazed look on your face. Like you were in a trance or something."

Molly tried to give them the impression that she was all right, but that was kind of hard to do when she couldn't stop trembling. "Baby, I'm fine! I must be dehydrated…"

"It is pretty hot in here. Let me get you a bottle of water," Jack offered, getting up to get one out of the cooler.

Fi wasn't buying it. "Are you sure? For a second there –"

"Fi! Stop it! Everybody stop!" Molly interrupted, her tone at a near yell. Determined to maintain some sort of dignity, she took the bottle of water from Jack and took a sip. Then she picked up her guitar. "Ok, where was I? Right…In the darkness is the light…"

* * *

"Please!" Fi begged. "You gotta help me!"

Irene looked at her with sympathy, but shook her head. "I'm sorry, Fi. Your mom's being stubborn about this one – she doesn't want you stepping off this bus."

"Why is she doing this to me?" Fi wailed, putting her head in her hands. "She let Jack go!"

Sitting across from her at the common room table, Irene leaned forward. "In all honesty, I have no clue. Molly hasn't said much since that fainting spell earlier."

Perking her head up, Fi wondered, "Spell? You think she had one of her visions?"

"I didn't say that! I said _fainting_ spell!" Irene was quick to correct. Molly would kill her if she confirmed Fi's suspicions.

But Fi was already gone. "Of course, that explains it! I thought that dazed look on her face seemed familiar! Mom!"

Before the teen could jump out of her seat, Irene grabbed her arm. "Hold it! I'm not about to let you badger her about something she clearly doesn't want to talk about. Okay, if you promise not to confront her about this, I'll distract her long enough for you to sneak out."

"Promise!" Fi assured her, glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, and dashing out the bus main door.

Heading to Molly's room, Irene muttered, "Now, there's the old Fi…"

Fi ran out onto the sidewalk, for the first time taking a deep breath of the San Francisco air. They had been circling for at least an hour, trying to find the hotel. They had only finally stopped for gas after Ned had insisted that if they didn't get some soon, they would be pushing the bus around the city.

Jack, Clu, and Carey had gone up a few blocks to check out a music store. Knowing that Irene wouldn't be able to stall her headstrong mother for long, Fi settled on the convenience store across the street.

Emerging from the store minutes later, Fi looked both ways, then stepped onto the pavement. Her purchases of various junk foods in a plastic bag on her arm, she reached in to grab one of the candy bars. _That's weird, I could have sworn I bought some…_Fi thought, feeling around the bottom of the bag.

In her search for chocolate, she didn't see the fairly large delivery truck whipping around the corner on her right. It was careening wildly at top speed. Fi didn't look up until it was little more than five yards away.

_I'm gonna die!_ Fi screamed internally, too petrified to use her vocal chords. _Help!_

The next thing she knew, there was a swirl of blue and white lights. Then she was standing on the sidewalk, next to the bus.

Fi blinked.

_What just happened?_

"Hey, are you okay?"

Fi couldn't help but stare. Standing across from her was what appeared to be a thin woman in her late twenties, with curly brown hair, pale skin and deep brown eyes.

Her knees feeling weak, Fi put a hand on the bus. "W-who are you? How did…"

The woman, however, hadn't waited for a response. "I swear, you are the most difficult charge I've ever had! I'm not assigned you for more than a day, and already I have to save your life! Jeez!"

"I'm…sorry?" Fi apologized, unsure how to react.

"It's all right, but be a little more careful, okay?" When Fi nodded, the woman stuck out her hand. "I'm Paige Matthews, your whitelighter."

Fi shook her hand. "Fiona Phillips…but I guess you already knew that. Um, what's a whitelighter?"

"A…type of guardian angel, I guess you could say," Paige explained.

Confused, Fi asked, "I always thought my dad was my guardian angel."

"Well, there's a difference," Paige clarified. "Regular guardian angels look after everyday humans, and I guess before I was assigned you, he was yours."

Fi put a hand on her hip. "And I'm not an 'everyday human'? I mean, I have the sight, but you're talking about me like I'm a…"

"Witch? That's because you are. You didn't know that?" Paige questioned.

Taking in the information, Fi was more than a little shocked. There had always been the possibility that she was a witch, but nobody ever confirmed it for her. _I guess the twins were right._ "No, I didn't really. I knew that magic ran in my family, but…wow."

Paige sighed. The way the Elder had been talking, she had assumed Fi knew what she was already. Her job just got ten times harder. Tilting her head upwards, she remarked, "Gee, thanks for the tip."

Fi raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Never mind," Paige replied, then her gaze fell on the bus window. Her other charge was on her way outside. _Aw, crap, not yet!_ "Fi, um, I have to go –"

"No! You have to tell me more about this witch thing!" Fi protested.

Paige put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Look, I promise I'll be back later. Do me a favor and don't tell anyone about this?"

And before Fi could object some more, Paige had disappeared in those same blue and white lights.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Fi rested on her bed, surrounded by her family as well as the Bells. Her mother had seen the near-accident, and insisted that she lie down. "I'm okay, really. I got out of the way in plenty of time."

"Are you sure? You can move everything, right?" Jack asked, standing next to her at the head of the bed.

Fi crossed her arms. "I'm good! I was on the sidewalk when the truck barely rounded the corner."

"That's a lie. If you hadn't moved at that moment, it would have hit you," Molly chided, massaging her temple. 'I still don't know why you were outside in the first place."

Fi and Irene traded guilty glances. Fi cleared her throat. "It probably looked worse because you were watching it. Truth be told, it wasn't that close of a call."

"Mol, she's fine," Ned insisted. "Not a scratch on her. I say we give her some breathing room and leave her alone. We're probably breaking maximum occupancy as it is."

"Come on boys, you can visit Fi later," Irene ordered, herding her sons and Jack towards

the door. "You coming, Molly?"

Sitting on the edge of Fi's bed, Molly stayed put. "Nah, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Letting out a breath, she gave her daughter a once-over. Fi did look okay, but for some reason Molly didn't want to leave her alone. "Fiona, what were you doing crossing the street?"

"I'm sorry, Mom, but I thought I was allowed to cross the street by myself when I was eight," Fi joked, despite her mother's serious tone.

Molly narrowed her eyes in irritation. "That's not what I meant. I deliberately told you to stay on the bus. I don't appreciate –"

"Why?" Fi interrupted, making up her mind to break her promise to Irene. "Why did you make me stay on the bus? You let Jack go. Why couldn't I have gone with them?"

Molly chose to ignore that. "I don't appreciate you sneaking out like that. I know what's best for you."

"How is keeping me cooped up in the bus best for me?" Fi retorted, annoyed that Molly had dismissed her question.

Molly closed her eyes for a brief second, determined to keep her cool. The last thing she needed was a huge fight. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you didn't even see the truck rushing at you. I mean, you were too busy searching for a candy bar to notice the truck driver waving at you, trying to say that the breaks weren't working?"

That was the ammunition Fi needed. "How did you know that I was looking for a candy bar? And what the truck driver was doing?"

"I-I…saw it the whole thing through the bus window," Molly fibbed. Well, it wasn't a total lie. She had been staring out the window, just like in her vision. In fact, she would have rushed out and saved Fi herself if she hadn't been mysteriously rooted to floor.

Fi gave her a disbelieving glance. "You couldn't have seen all that from the bus window. And I never even got my candy bar out of the bag."

Completely frustrated, Molly got off the bed and started pacing. "What exactly are you trying to prove here, Fi?"

'That you had a vision. And don't deny it – that look you got on your face couldn't have been anything else," Fi answered.

Molly turned to face her, hesitating. Usually she rejected her daughter's claims that the supernatural existed with such a passion that they would have an argument, and wouldn't speak for days. But…she was getting the very strong sense that Fi wouldn't let this go easily, that even if they did fight, she would keep nagging. Fi might as well have been saying it to her. In fact, the only reason Molly was sure she wasn't saying it was that her lips weren't moving. Sitting back down on the bed, Molly decided that she didn't need more stress on top of this nervous breakdown she was apparently having. "Fine, you win, I give up. Yes, I had a premonition."

"I knew it!" Fi exclaimed. "You _are_ psychic!"

"Whoa, hold it, just because I have premonitions once every few years or so doesn't make me psychic," Molly argued.

Fi laughed, "You know, I was just thinking. If you hadn't made me stay inside because of your vision, I would have never snuck out, went to the deli, and been in the path of that truck. Ironic, no?"

"How was I supposed to know that would happen?" Molly defended, but felt stupid just the same. "Look, Fi, can we not make a big deal about this? It's really nothing. The last time I had one was over a year ago."

"What was that of?" Fi inquired eagerly.

Again, Molly paused, but then figured there was no point in keeping secrets now. "You. It was when we were in New York, and I was about to go on that talk show. I knew that you had fallen off that building before Rachel even told me about it."

"I was wondering why Jack had come to find us," Fi remarked after a minute.

Molly was about to get up to go inside, but again she got a feeling from Fi. This time it was only a vague sensation that her daughter wanted to share something, but felt she couldn't. "Baby, did you want to tell me something? I'll listen."

"It's nothing, really…" Fi began, then figured that if her mother was being honest, so could she. "Mom, you were right before. I did come close to getting run over by the truck. I didn't want to worry you."

Satisfied, Molly kissed the top of Fi's head and stood to leave. "It's ok, and I guess I'm not that mad at you anymore. You had every right to wonder why I wouldn't let you outside."

"But there's something else that happened…" Fi wanted to tell her about how she had been saved by her whitelighter, and that she was a witch, but….they were getting along so well that she couldn't. At her mother's expectant look, she shook her head, "You know what, it can wait until later."

* * *

Lounging in a chair in the corner of the lobby, Paige watched in silence. Molly and her manager, who the file said was Irene Bell, were arguing with the desk clerk. Paige tuned in, using the technique of supernatural eavesdropping her own whitelighter, Leo, had taught her. She focused her energy, and suddenly it was as if she were watching the scene through a telescope that magnified sound as well as sight.

"We made the reservation a week ago!" Molly was saying, throwing her hands up in pure aggravation. Paige was glad that Fi was the one with the molecular combustion power.

Irene put a steadying hand on her friend's arm. "What she means is, there must be some sort of mistake. I called and made the reservation under Phillips, for an eleven 'o clock check in. Granted, we're a little late, but –"

"But this is a very busy hotel, Ms. A convention taking place," the clerk interrupted. "And the convention guests get preferred treatment. Some of those guests needed rooms, your two rooms were the only ones left…you do the math."

Paige could tell that Molly wasn't about to take that. With a sharp jab of her finger, Molly retorted, "_Excuse_ me, but in case you didn't know, I'm Molly Phillips, in town to do a gig, and we had those reservations first! I don't really give a –"

"Down girl," Irene whispered, pressing harder on Molly's arm. To the clerk, she plastered on a smile. "Now, there must be _one_ room we could have."

For a minute, Paige considered casting a spell to get them the room. After all, it really wouldn't be personal gain for herself, she'd be helping her charges… Making her decision, she covered her mouth with her folded hands and quietly chanted, "Hotel that has no occupancy, let two rooms become free." Okay, so not her best work, but what could she say – her sister was the spell writer of the family.

Before the clerk could reply, a woman came out of the elevator and approached the desk. "Hi, I'm from the convention, I just checked in a few minutes ago?"

"Ah, yes, is everything all right with your room?" The clerk asked, full of politeness.

The woman gave him an apologetic grin. "I'm so sorry, but it turns out my friends and I won't be needing our rooms after all."

"Are you sure, Ms.?" The clerk inquired.

"I know this must seem very abrupt, but my sister just called me. She hadn't realized I was in town, otherwise she would have offered her guest rooms sooner," the woman explained.

Stunned at their good fortune, Molly handed the surprised clerk her credit card, wearing her own smug smile. "We'll take those rooms."

Paige let out a soft chuckle, then waited until she sensed that Molly was heading back to the bus. That was her cue. She orbed herself into Molly's room, rematerializing on the edge of her bed.

"I still can't believe that guy," Molly laughed, going up the stairs of the bus with Irene.

Irene couldn't stop laughing herself. "Good thing that woman let us have her rooms. You were ready to pound him into the ground."

"He was getting on my nerves," Molly shrugged. "Besides, he called us stupid and was about to call security."

Irene stopped in her tracks. "No he didn't. He was rude, but I didn't…" Her eyes widened, realizing Molly must have read his mind. "Forget it, I guess I didn't hear him."

"I know what you're thinking…" Molly began.

Cutting her off, Irene exclaimed, "Finally! You admit it!"

"That's not what I was going to say!" Molly insisted, following Irene further onto the bus. When Irene seemed like she wasn't listening, Molly gave a huff of annoyance and stalked to her room.

She breezed by Carey in the common room, and heard him mutter to his mother, "What'd you do to piss her off?"

Reaching her room took an eternity, and she must have passed every person on the tour. She made a point of ignoring the concerned looks they gave her. _What is the matter with Irene? She's been spending way too much time with Fi. Me, be able to read minds? It's bad enough that I admitted that I get visions every once in a while._

Molly was so wrapped up in her thoughts that when she finally banged open the door to her room, she didn't even register that there was a strange woman sitting on her bed. Mumbling to herself, she grabbed a travel bag from her closet and started dumping in things she would need while she stayed in the hotel.

"Wow, what happened to you in the space of five minutes?"

Quelling the scream in her throat, Molly froze, then slowly turned around. Sitting on the edge of her bed was a young woman, her legs crossed. Telling herself to remain calm, Molly inched her way towards the door. "W-who the hell are you? How did you get in here?"

"I orbed, the typical mode of transportation used by whitelighters," she answered, as if Molly should have some clue of what she was talking about. Then the woman held out her hand. "Paige Matthews, your whitelighter."

Not knowing what else to do, Molly hesitantly shook it. "I'm sorry, my what?"

"Whitelighter. A sort of guardian angel given to good witches."

_Guardian angel, huh?_ Molly thought. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that Paige had implied that she was a witch, but she wasn't about to address that. The woman was clearly crazy. Maybe an obsessed fan? All she knew was that she had to get out of there and call for the police. "Look…Paige, is it? You can believe whatever you want, but frankly, you're scaring the crap out of me. Unless you can convince me otherwise, I'm getting my cell phone and calling the police."

Paige's face was now filled with anxiety, but somehow Molly knew it wasn't because she was afraid of being arrested. That anxiety was mixed with determination as she replied, "Molly, please, just hear me out. I know this has got to sound really insane, but I was sent here to help you."

"Help me with what?" Molly asked out of curiosity.

Paige paused, as if thinking of the best way to phrase her response. "Well, see, you're a witch. I'm supposed to train you, basically."

That was enough for Molly. "You're nuts," she accused, running towards the exit.

"Door!"

At Paige's shout, the door was engulfed in blue lights and slammed closed.

Molly gasped, stopping to stare back at Paige. "H-how…"

"I told you, I'm an angel," Paige explained. "Well, actually, I could do _that_ because I'm half-witch myself, but that's a long story I won't bore you with now."

Molly didn't want to hear this. She had to…she had to find Jack. He would tell her that this was all a dream, or _she_ was the one going crazy. "I can't deal with this." She reached for the doorknob.

Paige intervened again, this time taking hold of her arm. Fearing that she was going to be physically attacked or something, Molly struggled. Then there were the blue lights again, only this time she was surrounded by them. Molly closed her eyes.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Apparently there was some confusion with the status of this story. I must of accidentally clicked that the story was "complete," because I'm looking in the So Weird section, and that's what it said under the description. Well, it is obviously far from complete, and I'm sorry if there was any confusion.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The first sensation she felt was wind. Then she heard the sound of distant traffic. More confused than she'd ever been in her life, Molly opened her eyes…and almost fainted.

She was standing on top of a tower of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Letting out a terrified gasp, she found she was too petrified to move. "What the hell…how? Why?"

"Well, you weren't listening to me. Now you don't really have a choice," Paige answered, seemingly taking no notice of her charge's shock.

Molly had enough of Paige's nonchalant attitude. "There are easier ways to get someone to listen to you! You do not…_transport_ someone to the top of a Lord-knows how high bridge! Take me back!"

Putting a hand on her hip, Paige retorted, "I hate to tell you this, but in case you haven't noticed, you aren't exactly in the position to start making demands."

"Wait, so you're holding me hostage up here until I stop thinking I've gone insane?" Molly shouted.

Paige shrugged. "That's the plan."

"Oh my God!" Molly moaned. Feeling weak in the knees, she carefully sat cross-legged on the "floor."

Sitting down as well, Paige softened her tone. "Calm down, okay?"

"Calm down?" Molly snapped. "An angel, who told me that I'm a witch, transported me to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge!"

Paige tilted her head in acknowledgement. "All right, I gotta admit that'd freak me out too. The correct term is orbing, by the way." Dismissing Molly's glare, she made sure she had eye contact. "Molly, I am a whitelighter. You are a witch."

"No, I'm not. Just because I have premonitions on occasion…and lately can read minds…" Molly trailed off, taking a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Oh God."

Paige gave her an encouraging smile. "Yes, reading minds and receiving premonitions are your powers. You're a powerful witch, too – most witches only have one ability."

"Just what I wanted to hear," Molly retorted.

Chuckling, Paige continued, "I'm not only here to teach you how to deal with your powers. Now that you're going to start actively using them, demons will sense that and come after you, especially Fiona."

"Fiona?" Molly panicked. "Is she a witch too?"

"Yes, and I'm also her whitelighter. Part of the training is to show you two how to work together to vanquish any demon that attacks. You'll need to learn fast, because a lot of demons and warlocks are angry with Fi for her involvement with the supernatural," Paige informed her.

There was a long silence. Finally, Molly wondered aloud, "It's interesting. Usually Fi's the one who gets into all this stuff…for once I got into it first."

"Eh, not so much," Paige corrected. "I may have rescued her from being run over by that truck. She didn't tell you?"

Molly stared at her. "No, she didn't mention you at all."

"Good, I told her not to. We only talked long enough for introductions. I gotta admit, she took it much better than you did," Paige teased.

Crossing her arms, Molly retorted, "Well, she's had much more experience than I've had."

They settled into another silence, this one more contemplative than awkward. Molly stood up. "Well, I'd say I'm sufficiently sane. Can you orb me back now?"

"Yeah, of course," Paige agreed, also standing. As if remembering something, Paige snapped her fingers. "Oh, shoot, my sister would kill me if I didn't ask. Can I get an autograph, please?"

Molly's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "You're kidding."

"Nope, I swear I'm serious. My sister Phoebe is a huge fan." Grinning sheepishly, she admitted, "So am I, actually. I have a good number of your CDs at home."

"At home? You mean…" Molly pointed skywards.

Paige shook her head. "No, I actually live in San Francisco, on Prescott street."

"But…you're an angel…I always thought that you had to, well, die first," Molly sputtered, growing more confused by the minute.

"Most do," Paige conceded. "But I was a different case. My mom was a witch who had an affair with her whitelighter. I'm the product of…that. It's extremely rare when that happens, though; witch-whitelighter relationships are forbidden for the most part. I'll tell you the whole story one day." At the uncomfortable moment that followed, Paige took hold of Molly's wrist. "So, ready to go?"

"Mhm," Molly answered, finding herself looking forward to the sensation of orbing. "And, ah, I'll get that autograph for you when we get back."

* * *

After dropping off Molly, Paige orbed into the Manor kitchen and almost collapsed onto the island. Sitting upright on a stool, she handed Phoebe, who had been sitting at the island as well, the autographed picture. "There ya go. Don't say I never did you any favors."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Phoebe Halliwell squealed, practically ripping the autographed picture out of her sister's outstretched hand. "I still can't believe you get to have _Molly Phillips_ as a charge!"

In the process of making lunch, Piper Halliwell smiled at her sister's teenager-like glee. "Neither can I. I remember when we were teenagers. For a while there all I could hear was the latest PKB album blasting from your room."

"You have to let me meet her!" Phoebe begged.

Paige held up a hand. "No way. I somehow don't think she's ready for you yet. She wasn't even ready for me."

"It didn't go well, honey?" Piper asked.

Paige hesitated before replying, "Well...it could have gone worse, I guess. I had to orb her to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge."

"Wait, please tell me I heard you wrong," Piper began, taking a second to flip the grilled cheese sandwich that was frying. "You _orbed your new charge to Golden Gate Bridge_? That's gotta cause all kinds of emotional scarring."

"Oh, yeah. She had a _major_ melt down. It's just that I didn't know how else to get through to her," Paige whined.

Phoebe gave her a disbelieving look. "She couldn't have been that stubborn."

"Oh, but she could've," Paige then went on to describe the entire ordeal, starting from when she saved Fi from the oncoming truck.

Piper put a hand on her hip. "Let me get this straight. The Elders expect you to tutor _two_ powerful witches, both of whom never even believed in magic before you orbed into their lives? That doesn't seem fair."

"Well, Fi did believe in the supernatural…she didn't know she was a witch, but she believed in the supernatural," Paige corrected.

Phoebe wrinkled her brow. "How'd that happen?"

"One of her powers is sight," Paige explained, then proceeded to tell them about Fi's dealings with the paranormal.

Crossing her arms on the island, Piper sighed. "Wow, you've got one hell of a charge. Any idea of how you're going to approach this?"

"With the help of my two very best sisters in the whole wide world," Paige pleaded, giving them the most convincing puppy dog eyes she could muster. "I figure, Piper, you can tutor Fi in the fine art of blowing stuff up, and…"

"I'll tutor Molly in visions! Genius!" Phoebe exclaimed, eager to work with her favorite singer.

Piper put a hand on her shoulder. "Hold it, teeny-bopper. Paige, sweetie, just how long is this training going to take? You saw yourself how time-consuming Billie was."

"Only until…they vanquish this demon that's after them…" Paige answered. Before her sisters could argue, she added, "I'm sure it won't be too long. Once we Id the demon, I'll tell them how to vanquish it. One-two-three. Come on, we must've done it a million times."

"That's because we're the Charmed Ones. It's second nature to us. That might be the case for two ordinary witches, no matter how powerful they are," Piper protested.

Phoebe let out an exasperated breath. "Piper, since when are you such a skeptic? This could be fun!"

"You just want to meet Molly Phillips," Piper retorted.

Phoebe shrugged. "That too."

"Please, guys? Have I ever asked you for anything else?" Paige begged. At their looks, she pouted, "Come on! Piper, how many times have I babysat my nephews in the past month so you and Leo could have some _alone_ time? Who orbed you to the club for a week when your car broke down? And, I didn't want to ever have to use this, but…who was the one who got the press off our backs…when another certain someone turned them into rats?"

Piper thought it over for a minute. "Oh, all right. But after this, we're even."

"Yea!" Phoebe cheered. "I get to meet Molly Phillips! This is so cool! I've always wanted to ask her about – "

"Whoa, there. No one's asking her anything until I get to know her better," Paige warned.

Ignoring that, Phoebe rambled on, "I should be able to get tickets to her show in a few days, right? I mean, it's been sold out for a week! I hope she'll play 'Love Is Broken'! I so wish she was playing at P3."

"Sorry, Pheebs, we're booked up for the time she's here," Piper laughed. "But I promise if anything opens up, she'll be first one I call."

Refusing the grilled cheese Piper had slid onto a plate for her, Paige stood. "Thanks you two. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap. New charges always wear me out."

* * *

"Hey Mom, how was practice?" Fi asked, glancing up from her laptop as her mother entered their hotel room. It was the day after they arrived and settled in. Fortunately, a room had become available overnight, so now she and Molly had their own. The guys were bunking, leaving Irene and Ned to themselves.

Molly dumped her guitar on her twin bed in response. "Exhausting. Between Irene making me sing the set about ten times, and everyone thinking really loud thoughts at once…I'm _tired_." She was so busy ranting that it took her a moment to notice Fi's astonished face. "What?"

"'Everyone thinking really loud thoughts at once'?" Fi repeated, bewildered.

In the process of throwing her pocketbook in the closet, Molly paused. "I meant…uh…everyone arguing at the same time. It was a metaphor."

"Sure it was," Fi replied, not believing her in the least. With her sight back, stronger than ever, she had been getting…vibes from her mother. Though Paige hadn't said it, she was beginning to think that her mother was a witch too, as strange as it sounded.

Sitting on the other twin bed, Molly questioned, "So what'd you do today?

"Nothing much. Jack, Carey, Clu and I did some sight seeing," Fi answered, pretending to be focused on her laptop. Every time she so much as _looked_ at Molly lately, that vibe grew so strong that it was almost overpowering. "San Francisco's nice; the Golden Gate Bridge was awesome."

"Tell me about it," Molly muttered.

Fi didn't even bother to try to make sense of that. Instead, she found herself flashing back to yesterday. Her mother had just gotten back in from the hotel, and Fi heard her storm into her room. Fi waited a few seconds, then went in to check on her. But, much to her surprise, she hadn't been there. In fact, Fi had thought she'd seen Paige's blue lights before she opened the door.

That had started her thinking that maybe she wasn't the only one with Paige as a whitelighter. Now she had the daunting task of asking her mother about it. _Maybe it would be easier if I just thought it and she read my mind._

Curious, Fi concentrated on her meeting with Paige, and then on finding the room empty. She then smiled with satisfaction as her mother's face became increasingly stunned and anxious. Feigning innocence, Fi asked, "Mom, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," Molly replied, getting up from the bed and heading towards the door. "I'm going to find Irene. We…need to talk about the show on Friday night."

"Don't do this, Mom," Fi pleaded, closing her laptop and sitting sideways on her bed.

Molly had stopped, but only to protest, "No, Fi, I'm asking _you_ not to do this. It's bad enough I have to hear it from Irene. I'll deal with my potential insanity in my own way, thank you very much."

"Mom, your not insane. I know you read my mind. Didn't you see that I've met Paige too? She's real," Fi insisted.

Molly shook her head. "She's either a figment of my imagination, or a very clear dream. She's not real."

"Then how do I know about her too?" Fi demanded.

Struggling to come up with a response, Molly finally reasoned, "We could've had the same dream. I'm willing to believe that before I'd believe I met an angel."

"What happened to you?" Fi whispered, choking back tears. "Why is it so hard for you to admit that this stuff could possibly exist? Is it…is it because you'd be admitting that Daddy was right?"

"Fiona, stop it!" Molly ordered, heading back toward the door. "I don't want to hear about this anymore, got it?"

"No, don't!" Fi thrust out her hands, with the intent to grab her mother's arm. Instead, she missed…and a good chunk of the front door blew up into a million pieces.

Shocked, they both remained speechless for a minute, Fi staring at her hands in horror. She gulped. "Well, I guess that's what happened to my lamp last week."

"How…you just flicked out your hands and…oh, God," Molly gasped, observing the damage.

It wasn't long before they heard the stampede of extended family members. Getting there first, Clu stared at the burnt hole in the door. "Whoa…what _happened_?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Jack marveled, his gaze first falling on the door. He tried to ignore his sister's guilty face and outstretched hands.

Molly and Fi traded nervous glances. Making sure her thought was loud enough that her mother would hear it, Fi told her, _We are so busted._


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Mom will kill me."

Carey shot Jack an exasperated glance. "Dude, don't worry about it. She and my parents think we're at the mall, remember? As long as we're back by curfew, there won't be a problem."

"But you don't _get_ it," Jack insisted. The four of them were walking down a San Francisco street at night, on their way to a club that Carey had heard of and was dying to check out. Fi and Clu were all for sneaking in, but Jack was more than a little hesitant. "Remember when you got me into that bar? Mom knew the split second I got back to the bus."

Walking with Fi a few steps behind the two, Clu replied, "Because you reeked! Control your alcohol intake and you'll be fine."

"I don't know about that," Fi muttered. When the other three looked at her, she lied, "Well, Mom can be pretty observant."

Jack nodded. "Yeah! I really don't want to end up like that hotel room door…"

"Why would you say that?" Fi asked, her voice slightly panicked.

"It was a figure of speech, Fi…" Jack explained, wrinkling his brow at her tone. "You okay?"

Fi sighed. She really had to stop taking everything literally. "Yeah, fine." Why should she worry, anyway? She and her mother had made up the excuse that the automatic lock on the door had overheated. Everyone had been a little skeptical – management was still inspecting the lock – but without another explanation, they accepted it.

"So Fi, how cool was that explosion?" Carey inquired. "Did it, like, burst in to flames and the whole room fill with smoke?:

Laughing, Fi replied, "No, it was more like…a small combustion I guess. Like if somebody put dynamite in the door."

"You don't think…" Clu wondered aloud.

Jack chuckled. "Yes, someone's trying to kill my family. Come on now, Mom's right – the lock overheated."

"Well, we'll find out when the report comes in tomorrow," Fi put in. Then she paused, a bright neon sign catching her eye. "Hey, Carey, is that it?"

"Yup. P3, hottest spot in San Francisco," Carey answered, grinning eagerly in anticipation.

Once they got on the end of the line of people outside, Jack couldn't stand still. Forcing himself to be calm, Jack asked, "Are you sure you can get us in?"

"Yeah, no problem, you'll see. Just use the old chat and slide," Carey assured him. "I chat with the bouncer, you three slide on in."

"And you've used this technique before?" Jack replied.

Carey smirked. "Tons of times, and all successful. Clu'll vouch for me."

"Yeah, dude, you've got nothing to worry about," Clu added.

Finally they reached the door. The very muscular bouncer folded his arms, obviously noting that three of the group weren't twenty-one. "Ids?"

"Yup, here you go," Carey responded, holding up his. While the bouncer glanced at it, Carey blocked his view of the others. "So, do you know what band's playing tonight?"

"Some underground ska band that's becoming popular. Not sure what the name is. Move along," the bouncer ordered, waving his hand.

Carey didn't budge. "I guess you're not into ska, huh? Do you like Molly Phillips? I know she's in town."

"Yeah, she cool. My girlfriend's got a lot of her CDs," the bouncer replied.

Counting his blessings, Carey rambled on, "You know dude, I'm in the band. The guitarist, actually. Molly and I are like _that_. If you want, I could get an autograph for your girlfriend. Would probably score you some major points."

"Yeah it would," the bouncer agreed, then narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch? I gotta let some of your underage buddies in?"

Carey looked behind him. Sure enough, Fi, his brother, and Jack were already in the club. Smiling, Carey replied, "No, just thought I'd do something nice. But hey, if you don't want it…"

"No, no, I'll take it. Drop it off here, same time tomorrow. And if your buddies wanna sneak in then, I'll look the other way. I definitely owe you one," the bouncer offered.

Behind his back, Carey gave the other three a thumbs up. "I'll think about it."

"That was _awesome_!" Fi exclaimed once Carey joined them on the dance floor.

Clu couldn't stop laughing. "Yeah! You know, Jack, if Mrs. P catches you, you could say that you only got in because of her!"

"Thanks, that'll be my first argument," Jack deadpanned.

A popular song began to play. Clu held out his hand to Fi. "May I have this dance?"

"Yes you may," Fi laughed, and the two went off to dance while Jack and Carey hunted for dates.

* * *

Sometime later, Fi and Clu were still dancing. They turned, and Fi nearly fainted when she saw who came into her line of vision. Paige was sitting at the bar, drinking a martini and talking to the woman bartender. "Oh my God…" Fi whispered.

"What's the matter?" Clu asked.

Fi wasn't sure what to do. _Is Paige here to see me?_ She thought, trying to come up with another reason why an angel would be at a San Francisco night club, apparently enjoying herself. Breaking away from Clu, she explained, "Sorry, Clu, um, I'll be right back. I need some water or something."

"Want me to get it for you? I look a little older," Clu suggested, reminding her of the age limit.

Fi waved him away, already walking towards the bar. "No, I'm fine. Thanks though. I promise I'll be back in a minute." She waited until the bartender was serving someone else, then sat on the stool next to Paige. "What are you doing here?"

"What the…" Paige was thrown off, but quickly recovered. "What are _you_ doing here? You're not twenty-one!"

"You answer me first!" Fi argued.

Taking a final sip of martini, Paige put her glass back down. "My sister owns this club. Your turn."

"Your sister…" Fi trailed off, not understanding. "But…you're an angel, how…"

Sighing, Paige explained her unusual genetic makeup. "So, now that I've given you my family history…"

"Fine, I snuck in. You going to rat me out?" Fi challenged.

After thinking for a minute, Paige finally answered, "I'm sure Piper will understand, what with you being my charge and all. Just don't try to order a margarita, deal?"

"Deal," Fi agreed. "I can order Pepsi though, right?"

Paige chuckled, then turned to the brunette bartender, "Hey, Piper! Can we get a Pepsi?"

"Ever hear of the word 'please'?" Piper huffed, coming over to her sister with the soda in hand. "I swear, that bartender who cancelled on me is going to pay…hello," she paused, noticing Fi. "Who are you, and I must say you don't look like you're twenty-one."

"Piper, this is Fi, that charge I mentioned?" Paige introduced.

"Oh, so _you're_ Fi," Piper remarked once the two shook hands. "So when does training start?" Noting Paige's frantic slashing motions, Piper wrinkled her brow. "What?"

Fi gave Paige a confused look. "Training?"

"You haven't told her yet? Huh, good luck with that," Piper laughed, going off to tend to another customer.

"Thanks a lot," Paige muttered.

Fi was still very bewildered. "What was she talking about?"

"Well, quick question. Has anything…burst into flames lately?" Paige inquired.

Gasping, Fi replied, "Yeah! My lamp that one time, and just yesterday the door to our hotel room totally blew up…wait, are you talking about my new power?"

"You know about that already?"

Fi shrugged. "Well, more like figured it out. I mean, I flicked my hands and a chunk of the door flew off. My mom and I told everybody that the electronic lock must have overheated."

"Good one!" Paige chuckled. "Anyway, what Piper meant was that…ok, it's like this. Piper has the molecular combustion power too. And I figured I'd ask her to help you learn how to use it."

Fi smiled, thinking that it would be cool to learn how to direct her new fire power. "That's cool, but I have to ask…do most charges get personal training?"

"Well, no…" Paige paused, realizing that she hadn't told Fi about her destiny as a demon fighter, or about having to work with her mother. Deciding that now wasn't the right time to explain, Paige answered, "But I thought I might as well. Not every charge has the same power as one of my sisters."

"Sisters? You have more than one?"

"Yeah, Phoebe," Paige informed her, glancing around. "She should be walking around with her boyfriend somewhere. I'll introduce you later."

A thought suddenly occurred to Fi. "Hey, Paige, are your sisters witches? Or like you?"

"They're just witches," Paige answered, making sure to keep her voice low. "Funny you should ask that. Piper, Phoebe and I are the Charmed Ones, three of the most powerful good witches in the world. We fight demons practically every day, and I get charges because of my angel half."

"Whoa. That's so cool," Fi whispered, in total awe. She had always known that demons existed, but to know that the fight between good and evil was still going strong? And that she got to be part of it?

Paige grinned. "I'm glad you think so."

With all this talk about family, Fi remembered something. "Um, can I ask you a question?"

"Any time."

"Yeah…" Fi let out a deep breath. "Did you visit my mom? Is she a witch too?"

"Technically that's two questions, but…yes, on both accounts," Paige replied. "I'm also her whitelighter.'

Fi wasn't sure how to take that. On one hand, she was happy that she wouldn't be going through this alone. On the other…she was furious. Her mother had definitely met Paige, yet she was still in major denial. "Paige…how did my mom react?"

"Not well," Paige remarked. "I had to orb her to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge."

Laughing, Fi now understood the comment her mother made when she mentioned the bridge. "I have to tell you though, she's convinced it was a dream."

"That's not good," Paige sighed. "We'll have to work on that."

"Definitely," Fi agreed.

Fi nearly jumped out of her skin when Carey came up behind her. "Hey Fi, who's your friend?"

"This is Paige…we, uh, we just got to talking," Fi fibbed. "Paige, this is my friend Carey."

Paige shook his outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet _you_," Carey responded, his smile wide. "Mind if I buy you a drink?"

Paige could barely contain her amusement. "Well, I wouldn't..." She pointed near the stage, where Henry was dancing with her sister. "But my husband would."

"Oh, your husband…" Feeling very awkward, Carey mumbled, "I think I hear Jack calling me. I'll see you around."

"I'm sure you will," Paige replied. After he almost ran back into the crowd, she and Fi doubled over with laughter.

* * *

Time was flying by for Fi, Clu, Jack and Carey. The latter two had managed to find dance partners for the night, while the former two pretty much kept to themselves. Once in a while they would take a break and meet up, but for the most part the four were each having their separate, very good evening at P3.

Jack was dancing with a girl he had met earlier, and it was going very well. He couldn't get over how the old "You're into music? You know, Molly Phillips, the famous rock star is my mom" line worked every single time. The conversation had been smooth from there.

Unfortunately, it couldn't go on forever. Jack had been periodically checking his watch, and to his horror saw that it was five minutes until midnight, their curfew. Well, his curfew - Fi was supposed to be home an hour ago. He gave the girl he was dancing with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go. Can I have your number?"

"No problem. I hope you'll call me before you leave San Francisco," the girl answered, grabbing a napkin from a nearby table and a pen from her purse.

Very satisfied, Jack scanned the crowd for his sister. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her talking to three older women. At least it wasn't an older man.

Within seconds he had crossed the dance floor and was at her side. "Hey, Fi, sorry to interrupt, but we gotta go."

"Aw, why?" Fi whined. When Jack pointed to his watch, Fi got it. "Oh, right. Um, Paige, I'll see you later."

Jack wrinkled his brow. Why was his sister hanging out with someone at least ten years older than her? "Wait, Fi, who are your friends?"

"This is Paige, Phoebe, and Piper. Piper owns the club," Fi answered.

Jack felt his embarrassment rise as he shook each of their hands. Piper had to know they were underage. "Hi, nice to meet you all. Not to be rude or anything, but Fi and I need to…Phoebe, are you okay?" Her face seemed to be frozen in a blank stare. Funny, it reminded him of some of the ones his mom made once in a while.

"Yeah, great," Phoebe assured him after a moment, shaking her head. "Hey, um, you might want to take a cab home. It's pretty dark out there."

"The hotel we're staying at is like five blocks a way, and I refuse to pay for a cab when I can walk," Jack protested, grabbing Fi's arm.

Fi pulled her arm free. "All right, I'm coming."

"Wait! You really shouldn't walk by yourselves," Phoebe argued. "I mean, it's San Francisco. You never know what freaks will try to –"

Becoming fed up, Jack interrupted, "Trust me, I can handle freaks. And there's two of us; we'll be safe. I appreciate your concern though."

They made it outside into the cool night air without any further interruptions. Jack couldn't help but notice that Fi was unusually quiet. "Fi, something bugging you?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine," Fi assured him, but kept casting nervous glances behind her. "You know Jack, maybe Phoebe was right about taking a cab…"

Jack rolled his eyes. "You're just being paranoid. It's a five-minute walk. What can happen in five minutes?"

"You'd be surprised," Fi murmured.

Raising an eyebrow, Jack asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind," Fi replied.

Jack shook his head, reasoning that Fi was just a little shaken up after that near-accident a few days ago. When they went a whole block without saying a word, Jack tried to make some conversation. "So…I meant to ask. How are things between you and Mom?"

"Same as always, I guess," Fi shrugged. "Why would you ask?"

Noting the tone Fi was using, the one that was a dead giveaway that she was lying, Jack chuckled. "Yeah, right. Does 'same as always' include not saying one word to each other since yesterday? And it's not just that. Since you got home, you and Mom have been the opposite sides of the Cold War, and everybody else the poor third-world countries that have to fend you off."

"Interesting metaphor, Jack," Fi laughed. "But it's not that bad. We're adjusting to being under the same roof again, that's all."

Jack wasn't convinced. "Really? Because it almost seems like something big happened and you're hiding it."

"Now look who's paranoid," Fi accused.

About to protest, Jack paused to consider her argument. Maybe it was all in his head. The two continued on their block, each wrapped up in his or her own thoughts. That is, until they came up to the mouth of an alleyway. Jack stopped in his tracks when he heard what sounded like the voice of a small child calling for help. "Fi, you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"You seriously don't hear that? A kid's calling for help!" Jack exclaimed, the voice he was hearing becoming louder by the second. It had to be a young boy. Jack turned to his sister. "Stay out here, see if you can find a cop. I'll be back in a minute."

"Jack, don't!" Fi shouted. "Let me –"

Jack put a hand on her arm. "You, stay here, got it?"

"But Jack!"

"I don't care. Stay," Jack ordered, then turned on his heel and went down the alleyway. He didn't get what she was so worried about. Chances were that it was some kid who had wandered off, and was now lost and scared. _Believing in all that supernatural junk is affecting her brain._

He did start to become a little concerned, however, when he walked a few yards and still didn't see anyone. _How could I have heard that boy's voice so well if he's so far away?_ Something wasn't adding up here.

Deciding that it must have been his imagination, he gave one last look before turning around. He was pretty sure that the scream he let out was heard by the entire neighborhood. "Where did you…you know, you don't look like a kid."

He was almost positive it was a mugger. It was an average looking man, dressed in rags. Though Jack was a little unnerved by his dark, unblinking eyes.

"You can have my money!" Jack protested when the man started to advance. Taking out his wallet, Jack threw it at the guy's feet. "See? No need to get violent."

"I beg to differ," the man replied, taking what looked like a very sharp dagger out of his cloak.

Jack stood very, very still, going through his options. If he backed against the brick wall at the end of the alley, he'd be a trapped rat. But he didn't think he could take this bulky man head on. Maybe if he somehow got the dagger…

The man leaped at him, aiming to stab the knife in his chest. Jack ran out of the way, but the blade managed to nick his arm. Ignoring the searing pain, he tried to bolt before the attacker could recover. Unfortunately, the man barely lost balance and threw Jack against the side dumpster.

Rolling over the top and crash-landing on the cement, Jack laid there in too much pain to get up. He forced himself, though, when his opponent came after him again. They scuffled, and finally Jack wrestled the knife from the man's iron grip. Thinking he had the upper hand, he held the dagger in a threatening position. "Okay, I've got your weapon now. You're screwed, got it? So just run off, I won't call the police, and everybody wins."

"You humans are pathetic," the assailant scoffed, and held out his hand. The dagger flew out of Jack's fist and hit the back wall.

Jack stared at his hand for a moment, unable to comprehend what happened. "What the…_hell_..."

"You got it," he snickered, waving his hand again. Jack was thrown onto the floor, this time by an unseen force. Jack tried not to tremble in fear as the creature approached him. "You know, I always thought athames were too much of a hassle. I should have gone with my first instinct."

Then, to Jack's utter horror, a fireball appeared in the attacker's palm.

"Hey! Get away from my brother!"

_Excellent timing, Fi,_ Jack groaned. It was bad enough that he was going to be killed. He didn't want his sister to be murdered because she was uselessly trying to protect him.

At least the intrusion prolonged his imminent death for a few seconds. Keeping his heavy foot on Jack's leg, the man snarled, "Witch, don't come any closer. Your puny powers won't help him now."

"Guess again," Fi retorted, flicking her hands in the man's direction. He didn't blow up completely, but his leg exploded, leaving an ugly burnt stump.

Cursing, he fell back and disappeared before he hit the ground.

Jack's jaw dropped. He wasn't sure what shocked him more – that some…monster had just tried to kill him, or that his sister saved his life with her "power."

"Jack, are you okay?" Fi cried, kneeling down beside him. She grimaced when she saw his arm.

Looking down at the gash, Jack attempted to convince himself that it wasn't that bad. "I'm better than I would've been if it wasn't for you. Fi, what the hell was that? You ran in here and…his leg blew off! And he called you a witch, though considering he was obviously insane I'm not about to take his word for it…"

"Sh," Fi interrupted. "I'll explain everything when we get back to the hotel. Come on, let's go."

* * *

Molly paced the floor of Irene and Ned's room. It was a good half hour after midnight, past both her children's curfews. "Malls usually close around ten, right?"

"Usually, but you never know," Irene comforted. She and her husband were sitting on the edge of their bed, watching their best friend go insane with worry. It wouldn't be the first time. "Maybe they caught a late movie."

Putting a hand on her hip, Molly sighed. "I could believe that, but I'd only be humoring myself. Where could they _be_?"

"Calm down, Mol," Ned advised. "You can't work yourself into a frenzy every time your kids miss curfew. You've got two teenagers – aren't you used to this by now?"

Molly had to admit he had a point. "I know, I know. It's just that…I've been getting this feeling all day that something's going to happen, and would you look at that, it's past midnight! Perfect time for something to happen!"

"You and your 'feelings.' Ever think your feelings are only natural concerns that every mother has?" Irene suggested.

Molly glared at her. "And I suppose 'natural concerns' explain how I knew that Rick was dead before the cops rang the doorbell. Honestly, considering our family history, I have every right to panic when someone doesn't come home on time! What if there was another accident…"

"Did you call their cell phones?" Ned asked.

"Yes, twenty times in the past hour! And neither have been picking up!" Molly exclaimed. "What about Carey or Clu? Did you hear from them?"

Irene nodded. "Yeah, around midnight. They said Jack and Fi left the 'mall' a few minutes before then. Though it must say, the background noise didn't sound like they were at a mall."

"Thanks, Irene," Molly huffed. _Great. Not only did I have no idea where my kids really were all night, but apparently they've been MIA for the past half hour._ Now she was in the mood to pick a fight, and did so. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"Hey, don't get snippy with me. We can't turn on each other – we have to save all our anger for when the kids get home," Irene joked.

_Besides, I wouldn't _need_ to make you feel better if you'd try controlling your nasty temper for once._

Molly narrowed her eyes at her. "I heard that. FYI, I do control my temper. You'd be surprised how many times I've wanted to rip your cell phone out of your hand and crush it with my heel."

"You heard what? She didn't say anything," Ned put in, very confused.

"Nothing, never mind," Molly snapped, then looked at the digital clock beside the bed again. "God, where _are_ they?"

After a few more minutes of spiraling further into a mental breakdown, Molly froze. She then dashed out the door.

"Molly! Where are you going?" Irene called, her and Ned running after her.

Keeping her pace, Molly replied, "They're back."

"How do you know?" Ned questioned. "Their rooms are all the way down the hall."

"Call it mother's intuition," Molly answered. Within seconds she was bursting into the boys' room and gasped.

Fi was tending to Jack, who had bad bruises and cuts all over his body…the worst being a deep gash on his shoulder. "I knew it. I knew something happened. You got mugged, didn't you?" she demanded, going over to examine the damage.

"You could say that," Jack replied, trading glances with his sister.

Fi added, "Yeah, he was, actually. There were a bunch of guys, all demanding money and drugs. They must have thought he was a dealer or something."

Molly looked each of her children square in the eye, and neither met her gaze. _They're lying._ But for lack of a better excuse, she'd take it for now. "All right, I'll deal with your punishments for missing curfew later. Right now we've got to get Jack to the hospital."

"I'll go start up the bus," Ned offered, then started heading down to the parking lot.

Irene was already whipping out her cell phone. "I'll inform the boys."

Once the Bells left the room, Molly shut the door.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Jack asked, a little nervous at the look in his mother's eye.

Molly made a conscious effort to keep her temper in check. "What really happened? And don't try to lie to me. I'll see right through it. I always do."

"We might as well," Fi whispered when Jack looked at her.

Shifting his shoulder to get more comfortable, Jack whispered back, "Fine, but good luck getting her to believe us."

Molly felt her heartbeat quick with the thought that her worst fear had finally happened. "Try me."

"It was a demon…or warlock, or something," Fi finally admitted. "We were walking home at midnight because Mr. Penny Pincher here didn't want to take a cab."

Jack interrupted, "I'll take it from there. So, we're walking along and I hear this kid…" He then went on to tell the rest of the story, and paid extra attention to detail when Fi arrived on the scene.

"A demon…tried to kill you…and Fi stopped him by blowing his leg off," Molly repeated, sinking into the nearby desk chair.

Fi pulled her purse from under the bed and took out a short but very sharp dagger. "And this was the weapon." At Jack's stare, she explained, "Whatever it was left it, so I grabbed it. It might help us, who knows? Anyway, I think it's called an athame, a Wiccan ceremonial blade."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the name the thing used," Jack agreed, then shrugged with his good shoulder when Fi raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I tend to pay attention to things that are about to kill me."

Feeling like she was about to faint, Molly gripped the arms of the chair. She had to believe them; they had proof, not to mention her own son was covered in scratches. _But if I believe that a demon is after my kids, then I'll have to figure out what to do about it. And I don't know what to do about it!_ "Okay, we'll have to discuss this later. Irene and Ned are waiting for us downstairs."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

She didn't want to do it. It was…_wrong_. What she was contemplating doing went against everything she believed in.

But she had to. For her son.

Molly let out a deep breath as she stepped into Fi's room on the bus. Her daughter wasn't there. She hadn't expected her to be there; she knew she had gone out sightseeing with the guys again. Minus Jack, of course, who Molly ordered to spend at least a day resting after last night's incident.

The fact that she was in a sense breaking into her daughter's room sent her conscience in a tail spin. This would be so much easier if they were still sharing the hotel room. As luck would have it, though, management had kicked her and Fi out that morning. After examining the damage in their room, inspectors found nothing wrong with the automatic lock. Without a reason why it would be the hotel's fault, the explosion had been blamed on the guests.

Molly would be paying the bill for repairs, too. Fi had felt guilty and offered to take the money out of her savings account since technically it was her fault. Unsure how to respond to that, Molly had replied that she'd think about it.

_Stop stalling_, Molly chided herself, realizing that she was just standing there. _Get this over with._

Not wanting to search the whole room, Molly did some reasoning as to where Fi would have hid the athame. _It had been in Fi's pocketbook last night…_ Molly gave a sigh of relief when she spotted the bag on the floor near her daughter's bed. Grabbing it, she unzipped the top.

Sure enough, the dagger was in there. Molly hesitated. When Fi had gotten it out last night, Molly purposely didn't touch it, for fear of the vision that might come. Now she reached in and held the weapon up, dropping the bag on to the bed.

She couldn't help but notice the hilt. It was beautiful, ivory with detailed carvings. Careful not to touch the blade, which was making her uneasy thanks to the drops of dry blood still on it, she gripped the hilt. After a few seconds of running her fingers over the designs, a vision came.

"_Where have you been?" A voice roared, addressing a man cowering in front of him. The two were in some sort of dirt cavern, and Molly could only see the face of the being who wasn't speaking._

_The creature was struggling to stay upright, as one of his legs was missing. The stump had been poorly wrapped in rags. "Recuperating from that mission you sent me on last night. As you can tell, I was injured."_

"_How?" The voice spat, disapproval in his tone. "I sent you after a lowly human."_

"_His sister was with him. She used her power on me. I'm lucky that she hasn't practiced using it yet. With that much potential, she could have easily vanquished me," the being explained._

"_You should have ensured that he was alone," the voice admonished without sympathy. "Our target would be so much more vulnerable if you had killed him. If you were a lower level demon, I would vanquish you now for your mistake. Understand?"_

"_Yes sir," the demon mumbled._

_There was a pause, then the voice ordered, "Wait until you are at your full strength for your next attack."_

"_Thank you –"_

"_For that is the only way you will be able to survive the witch another time. Frankly, I am surprised you stand before me – her whitelighter is a Charmed One," the voice continued. "You do remember who of the witch's family you are supposed to attack next, don't you?"_

"_I remember. The mother. She's a witch too, isn't she?"_

"_Yes, Xadrian. As long as you catch her off guard, though, I wouldn't worry too much. She doesn't have any active powers. Just make sure her whitelighter is unavailable," the voice warned._

_Digesting the information, the demon replied, "Thank you, sir. Any other commands?"_

"_That will be all for now. You are dismissed."_

_The demon disappeared._

Every bone in her body trembling, Molly held onto the bedpost. She was a little less out of breath than last time, but the vision still left her shocked.

_That…demon _had_ been trying to kill Jack!_ Molly thought, anger and fear coursing through her. _And he's after me next!_

What disturbed her most, however, was that he was doing all this to get to Fiona.

_She's only 16, for crying out loud! What could she have done to deserve this?_

"See anything interesting?"

Molly whirled around. Paige was standing behind her, a knowing smirk on her face.

"Depends what you mean by interesting," Molly retorted, stuffing the athame back in Fi's bag.

Her face softening, Paige put a hand on Molly's shoulder. "Molly, tell me what you saw. Maybe we can use it to find Jack's attacker."

"You knew about that? You knew about it and you didn't do a damn thing to help?" Molly seethed, shaking off Paige's hand.

Startled a little by the outburst, Paige consoled, "No, I didn't. Fi didn't call for me…granted, I never explained to her she could, but I didn't think she'd need me so soon. I only found out from my boss this morning."

"Whatever," Molly muttered, heading for the door.

Paige moved to block her path. "Please tell me. I know you have every right to be distrustful of the supernatural, but listen to me! I have experience in this – tracking demons, vanquishing them, saving lives. If you tell me every detail of your vision, and let me see that athame, I bet we could find that demon in no time!"

Glaring at her, Molly remained wary. The last thing she wanted was to end up on top of the Golden Gate Bridge again. "What makes you such an expert on demons?"

"I fight them. It's kinda my job. The whole saving the world thing? Yeah, the pay is nonexistent, and I constantly have to replace my wardrobe because of bloodstains, but someone's gotta do it," Paige answered in a rush.

Taking it in, Molly snapped, "Wait, so now you expect me to believe you're an angel, a witch, _and_ a superhero?"

"No. I'm a Charmed One," Paige explained. "There are three of us – me and my three sisters. Together, we're one of the most powerful forces of good, destined to fight evil and save innocents."

Molly stared at her for a long moment. "Here's the deal. I'll tell you my vision. If you don't find Jack's attacker and 'vanquish' his butt, I never want to see you again."

"Deal," Paige agreed, confidence in her tone. She held out her hand, and Molly shook it.

"Mom? Paige? What are you doing in my room?"

The two turned to see Fi standing in the doorway, her face a mixture of hurt and confusion.

"Baby, I'm sorry, I just…" Molly trailed off, not knowing what she could say that wouldn't put her in the dog house.

She was lucky – Fi didn't want to hear it anyway. "Never mind, I don't care. I came out here to tell you that Irene hasn't found a hotel for us yet, so we're probably going to have to spend the night on the bus."

"What happened?" Paige questioned, then her eyes widened. "Oh, the hotel didn't buy the 'automatic lock overheating' excuse?"

Fi shook her head. "Not after the inspection."

"Hold on…how did you know…" Molly began. _Paige and Fi have been talking?_

"Well, if you need a room," Paige offered, "My sister lives in our family home. My other sister and I moved out recently, so there's plenty of room. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Besides, you're probably safer there anyway."

Fi raised an eyebrow. "Safer?"

"No thank you, Paige. The bus will be fine," Molly insisted.

However, Fi was considering the idea. "Mom, think about it…she has to train us anyway. We might as well."

"Train?" Molly repeated. "No, no, no. What would we tell Irene and the others? Our guardian angel offered us a place to stay?"

"You could say I'm a distant cousin," Paige suggested.

"And Mom…" Fi added. "Free room and board…right, Paige?"

"Right," Paige laughed.

Looking at both her daughter and Paige's pleading faces, Molly sighed. "I'll come to regret this, but…yeah, sure. As long as Paige's sister is ok with it."

* * *

"Hey, Piper," Paige greeted. Her older sister was coming down the stairs after checking on her sons, who were each taking a nap. Taking hold of Piper's arm, Paige guided her over to the living room couch. "Mind if we talk for a minute?"

"About what?" Piper asked, sitting down.

Paige sat next to her. "Well, you know how you're my most favorite sister in the whole wide world?"

"Favorite sister, huh? This must be big. You usually keep that card on reserve," Piper quipped.

Clearing her throat, Paige began, "Okay, here's the thing. My charges, Molly and Fi, they…don't have a place to stay for tonight."

"Weren't they staying at a hotel?" Piper asked, clearly getting an idea of where she was going with this.

Paige nodded. "Yes, but apparently the hotel management frowns upon blowing up room doors to pieces."

"She blew up a door? Oh my God," Piper chuckled. "She is going to be a handful to train."

"Which brings me to my next point. There are two rooms upstairs with no one in them, and rather than Molly and Fi sleep on a bus _all alone_, where any demon could easily shimmer in and –"

"Honey, I'd love to have them, but I just can't," Piper argued. "I've been so busy with the club and the kids, not to mention that demons have been attacking every damn day…"

Making the best puppy-dog pout she could, Paige pleaded, "Come on! You wouldn't need to do anything! Plus, if you think about it…Fi's 16. Perfect babysitting age."

"Since when do you put your charges to work?" Piper laughed.

Getting an idea, Paige continued, "Yeah! You've said yourself how bogged down you are ever since Leo started volunteering at that hospital. Fi's going to be in town for the next two weeks…"

Piper asked, "Did you tell her about this?"

"No…but then again, I didn't ask you when I told them they could stay here…an hour ago…" Paige replied.

"You're impossible, Paige," Piper sighed, getting off the couch. "When are they going to be here?"

Following Piper into the kitchen, Paige answered, "Now. Well they're on the way. Oh, and to everyone else, we're Molly's distant cousins."

"Everyone else?" Piper echoed. "Who is everyone else? How many people am I making dinner for?"

Paige was about to answer when the doorbell rang. Going into the foyer, she exclaimed, "That's them! Where's Phoebe and Leo?"

"Leo's at the hospital. Phoebe's here actually, picking up some clothes she left here. Phoebe!" Piper called up the stairs.

Phoebe rushed down, wire hangars on her arm. "What's the matter? Demon?"

"No, company," Piper explained. "Apparently, Molly and Fi got kicked out of the hotel because of Fi's explosive power, and Paige so graciously suggested they stay here."

"Oh my God, Molly Phillips is _here_?" Phoebe squealed, shaking the hangars off her arm and shoving them in the hall closet.

Paige gave her a stern look. "Yes, but you can't act like a star-struck fan right now. She's coming over with her manager's family, and they all think we're distant cousins."

"Oh, all right, I'll try to contain myself," Phoebe promised.

Her hand on the doorknob, Paige warned, "You better." Finally she opened the door, a smile on her face. "Hey, come on in!"

"Hi Paige!" Fi greeted, carrying a duffel bag across the doorway.

Molly was right behind her with her own overnight bag. The warm smile she wore was obviously forced. "Hi. The others will be here in a minute. They're trying to find a parking spot that won't block _too_ many driveways."

"There's an empty lot around the block. I'm sure they'll find it," Paige assured her, taking the bag out of Fi's hand. "Well, Fi, you've already met my sisters…"

"You have?" Molly wrinkled her brow, glancing at Fi.

_Oops_, Paige grimaced. Of course Fi wouldn't have told her mother about meeting them at an over 21 club. Ignoring Fi's angry look, Paige continued, "Molly, this is Piper…"

"Hi. Nice to meet you," Piper welcomed, shaking Molly's hand.

"And this is –"

"Phoebe!" Phoebe interrupted Paige, shaking Molly's hand a little too vigorously. "It is so great to meet you! I'm such a huge fan. I must have been to ten PKB concerts…"

"Thank you," Molly replied politely as Phoebe rambled on, raising an eyebrow in Paige's direction.

Giving Phoebe a glare, Paige went on, "So, do you want the tour now?"

"Molly? Fi?" Irene called, coming through the doorway. "We finally found a parking spot!"

"Whoa…this place is awesome!" Clu exclaimed, glancing up at the outside of the house one more time before coming in.

Going back into the foyer, Molly agreed, "Isn't it? Guys, this is my manager Irene and her son Clu…" The next few minutes were spend making introductions as the rest of the Bells and Jack walked into the house.

After meeting each of his "cousins," Jack pulled his mother aside. "Mom…I don't know these people. Are you sure they're our cousins?"

"Yes, Jack. They're…third cousins, on my mom's side," Molly fibbed, mentally smacking herself. She should've realized Jack would be suspicious.

Jack gave the three sisters another glance. "They don't look Irish."

"Yeah…well…it happens," Molly replied. "Look, you probably just don't remember them. We haven't talked since…their family moved to San Francisco. Paige heard we were in town and invited us to stay."

"But I heard Paige say she lived with her husband…" Jack trailed off, desperately trying to put two and two together.

Not knowing what else to tell him, Molly patted him on the shoulder. "Jack, you ask too many questions."

* * *

Giving Fi a short tour of the house, Piper reached what would be the girl's room for the next few nights and indicated the toddler bed. "I hope you don't mind staying with Wyatt."

"Not at all. He's so cute!" Fi assured her, then thought of something. "Um, he can't orb me to China or anything, can he?"

"If he does, I'll have Paige track you down," Piper replied, not joking in the least.

A little unnerved, Fi looked around. "So, this used to be Paige's room, huh? How'd she take it when you turned her childhood room into a nursery?"

"It wasn't her childhood room," Piper answered, a bit sharply. Ignoring the teen's quizzical glance, she placed Fi's duffel bag near the bed. "We should get downstairs. I have to put dessert on the table."

"I'll help. Thanks for the tour, by the way," Fi offered, willing to let the subject drop.

Going into the hallway, Piper shot her a grateful smile. "Thanks. If you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, whether they be about the house…your powers…"

"Do you really have the same power as me?" Fi inquired.

At the top of the stairs, Piper paused, "Yes. It's an advancement of my freezing power. I've been a witch for a good eight years, so I have total control over my abilities. So will you over yours, one day, with enough practice."

"I can't wait. Demons are already attacking – one almost killed Jack. I want to be able to protect my family," Fi stated with determination.

Piper let out a breath. "So _that's_ what happened to his arm." When Fi gave a solemn nod, she switched direction. They wound up in front of a closed door. "Fi, this room I'm about to show you, and what's in it…is not to be shared with anyone else. Understood?"

Fi was burning with curiosity. "Understood. You can trust me."

"I thought so." Piper unlocked the door, then led Fi up a flight of stairs.

Gasping, Fi could barely contain a squeal of delight. Never in her wildest supernatural dreams could she imagine anything like this.

The large room was lined with shelves. In some ways it was an average attic, full of old possessions and a rocking chair.

But intermingled with the childhood memories were items that clearly showed the sisters' magical heritage. Potion bottles stood next to ancient vases, a cauldron rested on top of a chest, and near the center of the room was a table covered with a map of San Francisco and an amethyst crystal.

"Wow," Fi breathed, feeling like a kid in a toy store.

Laughing at Fi's awe, Piper directed her attention to an extremely large book that sat on a metal stand in the center of the room. "_This_ is why I brought you up here."

"What is it? A spell book?" Fi asked, rushing over to examine it. She read the cover. "The 'Book of Shadows'?"

"Yes. It's a spell book, and a proverbial guide to the Underworld, that's been passed down in my family for generations," Piper explained, standing next to her behind the book.

Fi shook her head, looking at the sheer size of it. "Man, this puts my spell book to shame."

"You have a spell book?" Piper asked, slightly impressed.

Shrugging, Fi responded, "It's nothing compared to this, but I got it from my aunt Melinda. She was using it as a prop for her theater company's production of Macbeth, and gave it to me. It's not a prop though, and I think she knew that."

"Still, it is good that you have your own book. Every witch family should," Piper informed her. "But in case you ever need more detail, you're welcome to use this. Like, a demon attacks, and you need to identify him, this is a great reference. However, I have to insist that this book does not leave this house. Preferably not this attic."

"Got it. Thank you so much. Maybe I can find the demon that attacked Jack in here," Fi wondered, already skimming the pages.

Piper gave her an encouraging smile. "That's what it's here for. You remember what he looked like?"

"Right down to the mole the size of a baseball," Fi replied, causing Piper to laugh. "So, what do we do when I Id him?"

"Well, it depends. If it's a lower level, we have to find out what his motive is and who he works for, and I'll blow him up. If it's an upper level…we have to lure him here, get a piece of his skin and make a potion with it," Piper explained, with a matter of fact tone that reminded Fi of the one Mr. Bell used when he was trying to teach her a math problem.

Fi stared at her. "You have been doing this way too long."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Piper huffed.

The two glanced up as Paige entered the attic. "Hey, I was wondering how long it would take you to snoop your way up here."

"I brought her here. After that demon attack, I figured she could use a reference book," Piper corrected. "What's going on downstairs?"

"They're all digesting – that was one hell of a meal you whipped up at the last second," Paige complimented.

Piper raised an eyebrow. "Don't expect me to do it again. Ever."

"I know, I'm sorry," Paige apologized, then looked over at the book. "So what are you looking for?"

Fi pointed to the picture. "Him. That's him. He might look a little different with only one leg, just to warn you."

"Good to know," Paige chuckled. "All right, Piper, you go down and play hostess. I'll grab one of those all-purpose vanquishing potions you have in stock, orb down to the Underworld and poke around."

"Sounds like a plan," Piper agreed, already heading down to the second floor.

"Wait," Fi interrupted. "The athame the demon used on Jack. Do you think it could help?"

Paige considered the information. "Yes…well, sort of. I highly doubt he's not in the Underworld after that blast you gave him, in which case scrying won't help. But I'll orb to the bus first and get it anyway. It might help me sense him better."

"Thanks for doing this, Paige," Fi exclaimed, giving her a quick hug on her way out.

Grinning, Paige hugged back. "It's what I'm here for."

* * *

After Paige orbed out, Piper and Fi went downstairs to find everyone lounging in the living room.

"This is one of our shorter tours. There were times when we lived on the bus for almost a full year," Irene was explaining to a very interested Phoebe..

Phoebe was listening with rapt attention, obviously feeling like a teenager getting the inside scoop on her favorite band. "That must be hard. I bet you must really appreciate it when you are home."

"I guess, but after a while you get used to turn-down service and a fully stocked mini-fridge," Carey joked.

They all turned toward the stairs as they noticed Piper and Fi. "Hey," Jack greeted. "Where'd Paige go?"

"She's…um…freshening up," Fi fibbed. Scanning the living room, she wrinkled her brow when she noticed someone was missing. "Where's Mom?"

"She just left for a minute. I asked her if she wrote any new songs, and she offered to run out and get one she wrote last week," Phoebe answered.

Piper raised an eyebrow, feeling that getting sheet music wasn't the only reason Molly was so eager to rush out of the house. "Ok_ay_. Um, Pheebs, can we see you in the kitchen for a sec?"

"Sure. We'll be right back, everybody," Phoebe replied, the others talking amongst themselves before the three could reach the kitchen. "What's up?"

Piper lowered her voice. "I just wanted to tell you that I showed Fi…you know. The attic."

"Really? What'd you think?" Phoebe asked Fi.

"It was awesome!" Fi exclaimed. "I can't wait to start reading every page of…_that book_."

Phoebe smiled, almost proudly. "It is something, isn't it?"

"Anyway, I wanted to let you know so that if you see her skimming it one day you don't freak out. Paige knows, by the way. She walked in, then offered to orb to the Underworld to check on a demon for Fi," Piper informed her.

"I was wondering where she really was. I figured she'd gotten an Elder call," Phoebe admitted, then paused. "Wait. 'To check on a demon for _Fi_'? What…"

Piper interrupted, going to get some mugs out of a cabinet. "I'll explain the whole thing later. Right now I've got to somehow make dessert for ten people magically appear out of thin air."

"You can't do that?" Fi asked, honestly confused.

Piper shook her head. "Nope, number one rule – can't use magic for personal gain. Morality bites, doesn't it?"

"I guess so," Fi chuckled. "You need help?"

Stopping to think, Piper answered, "Yeah, sure. Can you get some mixing bowls out of that cabinet there? And Phoebe, get some eggs and milk from the fridge. I think I know a chocolate chip cookie recipe that should only take about five minutes to prepare."

"Yum," Fi replied, getting the mixing bowls.

The three froze as a blood-curdling scream sounded from the foyer. A mixing bowl fell from Fi's hand and crashed onto the floor, breaking into a million pieces.

Fi took no notice of the mess, running past the sisters on her way towards the sound. "Mom!"


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Running for her life, Molly skidded to the side to avoid a tree root. She could feel him behind her. Even worse, she could read his murderous thoughts, which were making her head spin.

He'd appeared in front of her as she was about to leave the bus, sheet music in hand. Somehow she managed to push past him, but only that one time. Throwing the occasional fireball, he took up the chase. Then he got the bright idea to…_appear_ in front of her once in a while. By some miracle she'd been able to dodge him, but it was a long way between the bus and the house.

_I'm going to die,_ she thought, her knees weakening until they almost buckled. _I can't keep this up much longer, and the house is still a block away._

Glancing up to wipe sweat from her eyes, she lost her balance. Her ankle twisted and she fell to the ground. He saw his opportunity and launched himself at her, giving him her first clear look at his horrifying face.

"Paige!" she shouted, louder than she'd ever shouted before. "Paige! Paige, please! Paige!"

Finally there were the familiar blue orbs, and she was pulled out of the demon's path. Standing on her good ankle, she carefully whirled around. "Took you long enough…oh God."

"I would've come sooner if I could."

"Rick," Molly breathed, for the moment forgetting that she was being pursued by a killer maniac. "Oh my God." Then she wrapped her arms around him, giving him a passionate kiss comparable to those in romance movies.

"Molly…" Rick gasped, gently pushing her away. "As much as I enjoyed that, I have to heal you and get you back to the manor."

"No, you can't…wait, heal me?" Molly asked, her arms still around his shoulders.

Rick sighed. "Yes. I'm a whitelighter now. Give me your ankle." Once she did so, he waved a hand over it, emitting a soft glow.

Molly gaped at him when she found that her ankle was totally healed. Flexing it, she gave him another small kiss on the cheek. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Mol, I really wish I could help you out more, but it's only a matter of seconds before they realize I'm down here," Rick admitted.

Looking over her shoulder, Molly protested, "But what about him?"

"I think I threw him off for a minute or two by orbing you, but it will only take him that long to sense you. You _have_ to get to the Halliwell manor – that's the only place you'll be safe," Rick insisted.

After thinking a moment, Molly finally nodded. "All right. I don't want to get you into trouble. But…just promise me that I'll see you again."

"You will," Rick assured her, giving her one more kiss before orbing out.

_I hope he means that_, Molly thought, giving one last glance over her shoulder before dashing towards the manor. By the time she reached the door to the manor, she could once again hear the demon's footsteps. _At the very least, I hope he meant that I'd be safe here._

She shrieked as a fireball barely missed her head and hit the door, knocking it open. Tripping over the threshold into the foyer, she found herself getting a little dizzy. It didn't help when everybody rushed toward her at once.

"Mom!" Fi yelled, running in from the kitchen. "What…Mom, move!"

Slowly but surely losing her bearings, Molly stumbled into the living room. She heard Piper's shout of, "Leo, catch her!" before she fell into strong, masculine arms.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the demon burst into the house. Then he paused, realized where he was, and tried to escape. He wasn't fast enough, though. Before he could move another muscle Fi blasted him to bits.

"What'd you do that for?" Piper yelled, throwing up her hands in exasperation.

Wincing, Fi stuttered, "B-but she was…and he was…"

"Our only link to the upper level demon he's working for! I was going to freeze him so we could question him!" Piper finished for her. Shaking her head, she remarked, "I swear, teenagers have no common _sense_!"

There was silence, with Fi hanging her head. "Oops. Sorry."

Phoebe patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay, sweetie. You're new at this. Nice first vanquish, by the way."

"Uh…thanks?" Fi replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Fi? Molly?"

Irene was staring at them, along with everyone else. Expressions ranged from dropped jaws to faces that were either blank or shocked. Except for Leo, of course, who was standing there with Molly leaning on his shoulder for support, not really sure what to say to make the situation better.

The first to semi-recover, Irene put a hand on her hip and demanded, "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

Phoebe tiptoed across the second floor hallway, went down the stairs, and breathed a little sigh of relief when she made it to the kitchen. This was her first night sleeping at the manor after she moved out, and it was strange having to remember not to wake anyone up.

_I hope Piper doesn't get used to this_, Phoebe thought with concern. She only agreed to stay for a few nights to be host to their new guests while Piper and Leo went to their respective work (luckily, she didn't have to be constant babysitter for Wyatt and Chris – that job was taken by the girls' father). With regard to her job as a newspaper advice columnist, she would be working at home, which she honestly didn't mind too much.

What worried her was that Piper would adjust to having Phoebe in the house, just like old times. And Phoebe would have to break her sister's heart again when she went back to her apartment in a week.

Pushing her feelings of dread to the back of her mind, Phoebe concentrated on what she came to the kitchen for – a nice, hot cup of tea. She set some water to boil, then sat at the island and waited, all the while massaging her head. _Why can't I sleep?_

She supposed it had something to do with her guilt over the demon attack on Jack, which she'd learned the details of when Fi relayed the story to the rest of the tour. That night at the club, she'd had a vision of the attack the minute she shook his hand. Well, not so much a full blown vision, more like a…feeling. It was just a…blur, of darkness and blood. It'd actually freaked her out a little; usually her visions were more clear.

That was why she only suggested that Jack and Fi take a cab home. She didn't know what was going to happen, she didn't know how, hell, she wasn't even sure if it was going to happen on their walk home. So, rather than try to convince her sisters that they needed to put Jack under twenty-four hour surveillance, she figured she could wait until they got home and could figure it out. Unfortunately, after Paige got back from a chat with the Elders, she discovered she'd waited too long.

Sighing, she once again tried to think about something else. Her mind eventually drifted to the scene this afternoon. The silence that followed after Fi blew up that demon should be catalogued under "awkward" in the dictionary.

_Molly and her daughter traded glances. Piper and Phoebe were no help, standing in the hallway alongside Fi, waiting for a cue from the other two. The silence was broken solely by Molly, who was still breathing heavily both from running and panic._

_After a minute, Irene snapped, "Well? Some crazed fire-throwing maniac tries to kill my best friend, and all the four of you can do is stare with your mouths open?"_

"_Maybe it would help," Phoebe put in, motioning Piper and Fi to follow her into the living room, "if we all sat down, and Fi and Molly started from the beginning. Then we can have a little 'Q and A' afterwards."_

_Fi shot a worried look at her mother, who was now seated on the couch, almost slouched against the armrest. "Um, I don't think Mom's up for a press conference right now," she protested._

"_No, I'm fine. Just give me a moment or two," Molly argued, sitting up straighter to prove her point._

_Fi couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something different about her mother. She was tired and stressed, yet Fi sensed some sort of…elation? Shaking it off, Fi continued, "Okay. Look, I really don't have a clue where to begin…"_

"_How about when you got back on the tour? I think that's when everything went downhill…so to speak,' Carey suggested._

_Fi let out a deep breath. "Okay, well, if I had to pick, it started when I read a spell to get my sight back…"_

"_That's another thing," Jack interrupted. "You never told us what happened to make you give up all this stuff."_

_With an apologetic smile at confused Piper and Phoebe, she told the whole story, giving a vain attempt to leave out as much detail as she could for conciseness' sake. From passing the ring on to Annie, she jumped to putting it back on and reciting the spell. By the time she was done, an hour had passed, and all were stunned in to silence. Eventually, various questions were asked, and the Bells and Jack slowly recovered._

The humans hadn't been the only ones shocked by Fi's past. For a good half hour after the Bells and Jack left, and Molly and Fi went to bed, the sisters and Leo discussed the situation. They all agreed that Fi had to be the most interesting innocent they'd ever needed to protect.

Her thoughts were finally interrupted by the whistling of the tea kettle. She made herself a cup, then was startled when she heard someone coming down the stairs. Seconds later Molly wandered in.

"I hope I didn't wake you," Phoebe greeted as she sat down at the island with her tea.

Molly nearly jumped out of her skin. Clearly she hadn't noticed that the other woman was in the room. "Um…yeah, kind of. Don't feel too bad about it, though. I wasn't really asleep anyway."

"Sorry. Want some tea?" Phoebe offered.

Sitting down at the island across from Phoebe, Molly put her head in her hands before answering, "Yeah, sure. As long as it's decaf."

"Of course," Phoebe assured her. Getting up to pour Molly a cup, she asked, "What's keeping you awake? Anything I can help you with?"

"I don't think so," Molly replied, her tone a bit short.

Phoebe paused in surprise. She was almost overwhelmed by the suspicion she was feeling from the woman, a sense that Molly did not trust anyone easily. _This conversation should be fun_, Phoebe thought wryly. Deciding that a change of subject was necessary, she brought over the tea and began, "Molly, I just want to say I'm sorry if I was a little…annoying, before. I guess it was a little rude of me to act like an obsessive fan when you must be under a lot of stress."

"It's okay. To some degree I'm used to it," Molly assured her with a smile. "And I suppose I could've shown more patience than I did."

Phoebe waved a hand. "Please. I annoy my sisters all the time. There are some things I'm used to, too."

"I guess so," Molly chuckled. "In a way, though, it was sort of nice talking to a big fan. With all this…stuff going on, my music hasn't really been a focus. I've been going to gigs, but as soon as the music starts my mind wanders."

Giving a sympathetic nod, Phoebe commented, "I know what you're going through. It was tough when I first found out about my powers. I took it better than my sisters though. I remember, Prue was so angry that she made an entire grocery isle full of stuff fall to the floor…what?"

Molly's brow was wrinkled in confusion. "Prue? I thought your other sister's name was Piper…"

"Oh, um, it is…" Phoebe trailed off, realizing her slip. Looking down at her tea, she suggested, "Let's just say that's a story for another night, shall we?"

Molly stared at her for a long moment. "It's all right. If anyone knows anything about keeping secrets, it's me."

Not sure how to respond to that, Phoebe once again searched her mind for a different topic. "You know, um, I meant to say something earlier. Like I said, I know what you're going through. Exactly. My first power was getting visions too. If you ever have any questions, or want to learn some techniques to control it, just ask."

"There's a way to control it?" Molly inquired with a hopeful note in her tone.

"To a certain extent," Phoebe replied, "I mean, they're always going to come whenever they want to, you can't help that. But with concentration, you can mentally block visions from coming. Or sometimes if you need to get a vision you can almost will it to come."

Taking another sip of her tea, Molly sighed. "I wish I could get rid of them all together."

"I'm not going to say that's impossible, because with magic, nothing really is," Phoebe admitted. She then took Molly's hand. "But, Molly, you're getting these visions for a reason. You're a witch for a reason. Nobody gets powers if they weren't meant to have them…good or evil."

"It's the evil part I'm worried about," Molly sighed, taking her hand back from Phoebe and bringing her cup to the sink.

Phoebe was about to reply, but when Molly took her hand away she was hit with a vision.

_The scene was a dark road. A man was driving down the road by himself. He seemed to be worried about something and was in a rush. _

_Suddenly, a demon shimmered into the passenger seat. Phoebe couldn't make out any details of the demon, but she could see that the man was terrified. So much so that he lost control of the wheel and the car swerved. The man was struggling now, trying to stop the car so he could jump out. However, the demon simply waved his hand over him and the man froze. The demon waved his hand another time, uttered a spell, and the man went limp. He was dead. The car gave a wild screech and the demon shimmered away before the car smashed into a tree._

_Phoebe almost thought the horrifying vision was over. Instead, it took her to the front porch of a house. A young woman opened the door to find the police on the other side. They told her some information Phoebe couldn't hear, and then once they were gone she broke down in tears._

That's when the vision ended. Phoebe had to wipe tears from her own eyes.

The young woman had been Molly.

"Phoebe, are you all right?"

Making an effort to conceal her distress and confusion, Phoebe turned to Molly and breathed, "Yeah, fine."

* * *

"What have you been _doing_, Paige?"

Paige winced at Rick's harsh tone. She hadn't meant to make this pit stop to Elder land, but once she reached Earth on her way back from the Underworld the call had been so strong she couldn't ignore it. "Rick, calm down! What are you talking about?"

"A demon just attacked Molly," Rick informed her, clenching his fists.

Gasping, Paige said, "Oh God, Rick, I'm so sorry, I was in the Underworld doing research. You know how whitelighters can't hear their charges when they're down there."

"About that," Rick continued. "The same demon went after Jack days before, and you weren't there either."

Paige put a hand on her hip. "I'm sorry about what happened, but you have to give me some credit here. I'd barely _met_ Jack, and only been Fi's whitelighter for a few days. Unless Fi called for me, I had no way of knowing anyone was in trouble. It takes a while for whitelighters to form a bond with their charges, you know."

Staring at her for a long moment, Rick finally sat on a nearby bench and put his head in his hands. "I know Paige, I know. I'm sorry, I just…I can't take this. All these demons…true Fi's had more than her fair share of supernatural encounters, but I think this is a little more than even she can handle."

"She'll be fine, trust me," Paige replied, sitting next to Rick. "She saved Jack, didn't she? And she wasn't even trained. Face it – the girl is _good_."

Rick chuckled. "I guess so. I suppose it's not really Fi I'm worried about…"

"I'm working on Molly," Paige finished. "She's still in that denial stage, and she doesn't trust me as far as she can throw me."

"Sounds like her," Rick commented.

Paige sighed. "Well, with Fi on my side, I might be able to get her to come around. I'm not counting on it happening any time soon, which might be a problem if the demon who's after them speeds up his plan of attack."

"I might be able to help," Rick offered.

Shaking her head, Paige explained, "I haven't gotten the go-ahead from the Elders yet. You stick with your first charge."

"Um, there's something you should know," Rick began sheepishly.

Paige narrowed her eyes. "You didn't."

"I had to!" Rick defended. "You know that attack on Molly earlier?"

Paige stood and nervously paced the area. "Oh no, this is bad. Really bad. Well, maybe not so much. Please tell me you didn't actually…"

"I talked to her," Rick admitted.

Stomping her foot, Paige yelled, "What were you _thinking_? If the Elders find out about this, there's no way they'll ever let you talk to her again."

"But I have to!" Rick insisted. "I promised her she'd she me again. I can't just abandon her like that!"

"You're gonna have to if you want to keep your wings, pal," Paige warned, exasperated.

Rick gave her a pleading look. "Paige, please do something. Cover it up so They never find out."

"No way, calling in a favor is one thing, but this is a whole other can of worms…" Paige trailed off. However, she found herself feeling sorry for him. Letting out a very deep sigh, she said, "I'll try, but I'm not promising you anything."

She then orbed back down to Earth before she changed her mind.

* * *

Landing in the manor kitchen, Paige looked around before running to the stairs. She almost crashed into Fi. "Oh, sorry Fi, didn't see you…"

"Paige, you're back!" Fi exclaimed, giving her a hug. "We were all worried about you!"

Surprised, Paige asked, "What? Why?"

"When you didn't get back last night," Fi explained. "Piper and Phoebe were worried you'd gotten killed by something called a…darklighter, I think?"

Paige shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I stopped 'up there' for some business, and time works differently. I was only there for a few minutes."

"Very differently," Fi muttered in awe.

Laughing, Paige inquired, "Hey, you know where your mom is?"

"Upstairs in her room. Why –"

"Thanks Fi!" Paige called as she raced up the stairs before the puzzled teen could ask her any more questions. She ran to Phoebe's old bedroom and burst in. "Molly, we need to talk. Now."

Molly, who had been working on her music on the bed, jumped up. "You can't just barge in here, especially after you didn't come when I called. If it hadn't been for – "

"No!" Paige shouted, leaping over the bed and putting her hand over Molly's mouth. When she struggled, Paige clamped down harder. "Molly, trust me. If you finish that sentence you'll never get to see him again."

Struggling against Paige's hold, Molly demanded, "Paige, what is going _on_? Let go of me!"

"Just promise me you won't say his name," Paige said.

"What?"

"Promise me!"

After a minute, Molly finally nodded. "I won't. _Now let go._"

"Sorry," Paige apologized, releasing her. "It was for your own good, though."

Molly put her hands on her hips. "Paige, I'd like an explanation for that."

"They're…listening…to us," Paige breathed. Her arm hurt a little; she was sure Molly tried to twist her shoulder or something. She lowered her voice to barely a whisper. "The Elders. If they…hear you…talking about him, about what he did yesterday, they won't let him talk to you ever again. Ever. He was not supposed to come here and see you. It is a _strict_ rule, and he broke it."

Crossing her arms and putting a hand to her head, Molly closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Who are they? These Elder…creatures?"

"Believe it or not, they're the most powerful beings of good," Paige explained. At Molly's disbelieving expression, she went on, "I know, sometimes they can really be a pain in the butt. Trust me, I know first hand. But they have their reasons, and it's a rare case that they change their all-mighty rules."

"But he had to save me! You weren't coming!" Molly protested.

Her patience thinning, Paige calmly replied. "I _couldn't_. Remember our deal? I think your exact words were, 'If you don't find Jack's attacker and vanquish his butt, I never want to see you again' ? I was in the Underworld trying to find that attacker, and I can't hear your calls down there."

Molly's temper flared at Paige's words. "Don't you _dare_ try to turn this around on me. You tell me to trust you and then the minute you're gone some demon tries to kill me?"

"That's because the demon obviously waited…never mind," Paige seethed. After being in the Underworld and then talking with Rick, she was in _no_ mood for this. "You know what, just shut up and listen to me! If you talk about _him_, and what he did, you risk the Elders finding out. Even if you tell Fi. So keep this to yourself, or you'll really regret it."

Standing there, Molly fumed, clenching and unclenching her fists. "You have no right to tell me to shut up. And you've given me no reason to trust you whatsoever. I've barely known you a week. I mean, appearing out of nowhere and telling me I'm a witch is not the way to get on my good side!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't break it to you easier, but I can't say I sympathize," Paige snapped, clearly remembering the ordeal she went through when she found out she was a witch. "You have to get over yourself, Molly. There's going to come a time where you have to use your powers whether you like it or not. If you're mad at me now, think about how mad at yourself you are going to be when someone dies because you couldn't get past your denial."

Molly was so furious she was breathing heavy. She opened her mouth as if to retort, but instead stormed out the door, slamming it closed behind her. Paige heard the downstairs front door close seconds later.

_How could I have messed this up so badly?_ Paige sighed. She'd never had a charge despise her before.

"Paige? Honey, are you okay? What happened?"

Paige looked up to find Phoebe in the doorway, accompanied by Fi and Piper. "Nothing, um, Molly was letting off a little steam. No big deal."

"Maybe I should go after her," Fi suggested.

Paige shook her head. "No, I got the feeling she wanted to be alone for a while. Besides, I need to tell you about what I found out in the Underworld."

"Glad you found _something_. You were gone forever," Piper grumbled.

Paige ignored that, knowing that it was only Piper's way of saying she had been worried. "Well, I didn't find out the exact demon who's after Fi, like an exact name or anything. But I did find out that the demon who was hired to kill Molly and Jack…"

"Wait, _hired_?" Phoebe repeated.

"That's right," Paige answered. "Apparently we're dealing with the big boys here. Real upper level. This one demon, who I couldn't get anyone to cough up the name of, has been hiring hit men for _years_ to get you."

Fi took in the information. "Well, I guess that explains the three-headed thing that attacked me before I moved to Seattle. But how come nothing's happened until now? Because I gave up my power?"

"That helped. It was harder to track you without active powers," Paige agreed. "But that shield can only last for so long. You were lucky you called back your power when you did."

"Wait a sec, I'm having a hard time figuring something out," Piper interrupted.

Paige wrinkled her brow. "What?"

"Why is a powerful upper level demon out to get two witches new to their powers?" Piper asked. "I know Fi and Molly have the potential to really develop as witches, but so do a lot of others…no offense, Fi."

"None taken," Fi assured her.

Paige realized that that thought hadn't occurred to her. "I…have no idea.."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"For the love of God, Fi – work on your _aim_!"

Trying not to laugh since she'd just almost barbequed her brother, Fi forced herself to calm. "S-sorry, Jack. Don't stand so close to the target next time!"

"The target was way over there!" Jack exclaimed, gesturing to the other end of the room a the knickknack sitting on the windowsill.

The siblings, plus Paige and Clu were in the Halliwell's attic. Everyone was still a little uneasy after the attack on Molly the other day, so Paige suggested that they work on their first line of defense – Fi's molecular combustion power. While the new witch could do simple things, she really needed to practice controlling her intensity and, in Jack's opinion, her aim.

Practicing for a few hours now, Fi was getting tired. Which was why she'd nearly K.O.'d her brother instead of the intended object.

"Dude, that was _impressive_!" Clu said. At Jack's glare, he added, "I know she almost fried your butt, but you gotta give her credit."

Jack's glare intensified. "Explain to me why you're here again?"

"The 'rents and Carey are at band practice. Same reason you're here," Clu pointed out.

Shaking his head, Jack corrected, "The reason _I'm_ here is because I thought I'd get to see some cool explosions. Little did I know that I'd be in the middle of one of them."

"I only got your sleeve!" Fi defended. "And you should be thanking me! You said you hated that shirt the minute Mom gave it to you for Christmas!"

"So I should _thank_ you for injuring me?"

"I _almost_ injured you! There's a difference!"

"Mom is _so_ gonna kill you when she hears about this. Literally. She's a witch too- there's a whole _bunch_ of new stuff she could do to you!"

"Don't you dare tell Mom! She'll freak!"

"How do you think I feel? My sister almost killed me!"

"You're such a baby! And a tattle tale!"

"So it's names now, huh? Alright then, what do you call a witch who couldn't hex her way out of a paper bag –"

"Alright, that's _enough_!" Paige shouted, standing in the middle of the two and holding out her hands. "This is _ridiculous_! You kids have been fighting all afternoon and it's driving me crazy! Now one of you leave the room before I orb both of you to either ends of the planet!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Jack muttered, storming out of the attic and slamming the door behind him.

After a few moments, Paige put her hands on her hips and looked at Clu. "I think it's best if you leave too. Fi needs to concentrate."

"No kidding," Clu agreed. When Fi glared at him, he headed towards the door. "See ya later, Fi!"

Paige turned around to face her charge. Fi was sitting on a storage box, her arms folded across her chest. Sighing, Paige went over and asked, "Hey, are you okay? I hate to bring it up, but your aim _was_ getting better before…you know, you almost toasted Jack like a marshmallow."

"Sorry about that," Fi chuckled, then let out a breath. "It's just I can't keep my head clear long enough to focus."

Putting a comforting hand on Fi's shoulder, Paige said, "Yeah I know, this fighting demons thing can be pretty stressful. I remember when I first found out I was a witch, the last thing I wanted to do was practice making potions or learn herb properties…"

"It's not that," Fi interrupted. "I love being a witch."

Obviously disappointed, Paige replied, "Oh…then what is it?"

"My mom," Fi revealed, putting her chin in her hand. "We've barely spoken since this whole thing started. And then yesterday, after you got back, she was so…angry. She even spent the night at the hotel bunking with Irene and Ned. When I first got back to the tour, it was mostly because I missed my mom. Now…maybe I should've stayed in Seattle."

Paige shook her head. "No, Fi. This is not your fault. I would've become your and Molly's whitelighter whether you stayed in Seattle or not."

"Really?" Fi asked in surprise.

Nodding, Paige answered, "Of course. You and your mom are witches no matter what. You both would have received your powers eventually. If anything, I should be grateful to you – not only are you cleaning out my attic, you saved me the trouble of having to orb back and forth to see you two."

Fi raised an eyebrow. "Cleaning out your attic?"

"Why do you think I suggested we practice your power up here?" Paige replied, gesturing to the attic. Various objects and knickknacks were burnt to a crisp. "Piper's been telling me to clean out this place for months."

Laughing, Fi realized she felt somewhat better after Paige's pep talk. "Thanks Paige. I'm still worried about my mom though."

Paige let out a deep sigh. "I think the best thing we can do when it comes to Molly is…leave her alone for a little while. In my opinion, part of the reason she's so angry now is because she never got a chance to process all this. As for your relationship…from what I've heard, you've been away for a year, Fi. And now you're back. That takes some getting used to."

"That never occurred to me," Fi admitted with some embarrassment. "I was so worried about leaving Seattle and seeing everyone again that I didn't stop to think about how it affected her. You know…she must hate me! Her only daughter leaves for a _year_ and only visits once or twice…"

Putting an arm around Fi, Paige gave her an uneasy smile. "This sounds like something you should talk about with Molly."

"Oh my gosh, Paige, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to unload everything on you like that," Fi blurted.

Paige stood and looked around the attic for their next target. "Don't mention it – I'm your whitelighter, it's my job. But I still say you and your mom need to duke it out amongst yourselves." She paused, then held up some cracked potion jars. "Now, let's get back to target practice, shall we?"

Fi laughed and returned to her practice with a renewed energetic zest. They were interrupted when Phoebe burst into the room. "I figured it out!" she exclaimed nearly barreling into Paige.

Stepping back, Paige put a steadying hand on her sister's shoulder. "You figured out what?"

"The connection between my vision and Fi and Molly's situation!" Phoebe explained, easing herself onto a nearby couch.

Fi wrinkled her brow. "What vision?"

"Yeah, you kinda need to fill us in," Paige reminded Phoebe.

Calming down, Phoebe began, "Well, the night after Molly's attack I was getting some tea because I couldn't sleep. Molly wandered in some time later, understandably not able to sleep either, and she and I talked. But then I had a vision." She then went on to explain the vision of the car crashing.

Fi had tears in her eyes. "So a demon _did_ kill Daddy."

"Aw, sweetie, you didn't know?" Phoebe replied, guilt in her tone. "I'm so sorry. That was really inconsiderate of me."

Shaking her head, Fi assured her, "Oh, no Phoebe, it's okay. I-I knew to some extent….it's just…hearing you describe it like that…"

The three were silent for a moment. Then Paige cleared her throat. "Phoebe, maybe we should discuss this over there…" she trailed off, nodding her head to the door that lead to the stairs.

"No! I want to know!": Fi protested, quickly wiping a tear from her eye.

Phoebe hesitated, then continued, "The demon who killed your dad was the same one who just attacked your mom. Which led me to think that the same demon has been after your family ever since then. Not just since you started investigating, like we've been thinking. So that made me go down into the Underworld and do some digging."

"You went down into the Underworld without telling us? Are you crazy?" Paige chided.

Fi held up a quieting hand. "What did you find, Phoebe?"

"Something amazing, to say the least," Phoebe replied. "You remember yesterday when we were trying to figure out what made Fi and Molly so special? Besides Fi and Rick's dealings with the supernatural?"

"Yeah…" Paige said.

"Well, we were originally going with the grudge the demons had against Rick, remember? But that always nagged me – wouldn't a thirteen-year-old grudge be sort of moot when they managed to kill him in the end?" Phoebe stopped, then winced. "Sorry Fi."

Shaking her head, Fi replied, "It's okay. Go on."

"So I did a little poking around, mentioned your name a few times…" Phoebe continued. "And apparently they've known something that not even the Elders knew. One of their prophets had a vision about you and your mother a long time ago and word spread. They've managed to keep everything to themselves all these years."

"Keep _what_ to themselves?" Fi pressed, on the edge of her seat in anticipation.

Phoebe paused, lowering her eyes. Then she once again lifted her head up. "I know this is going to sound strange, but after talking to a few reliable sources…Fi, you and your mom are the next Charmed Ones."

* * *

She had to do it.

Standing in front of the hotel room door, Fi closed her eyes and let out several deep breaths. After that revealing conversation with Phoebe and Paige a few hours ago, they convinced her that she _needed_ to talk to her mom…which, coincidentally, was the last thing she wanted to do. But then she reasoned that if she and her mother really _were_ the next Charmed Ones, they'd need to start rebuilding their relationship as soon as possible.

So, while she wanted to run back to the Manor, she forced herself to stay rooted to the spot.

Unwilling to go in just yet, Fi's mind flashed back to the unbelievable talk just a couple hours earlier…

"_The next Charmed Ones?" Paige exclaimed, surprise and disbelieve in her tone. "What about the _current_ Charmed Ones? I'm still here!"_

_Phoebe chuckled. "I know, that's what I thought. But after some more digging, I found that technically…we aren't the Charmed Ones anymore, Paige. We should've realized it sooner."_

"_But…how…" Paige sputtered._

_Giving her sister a comforting smile, Phoebe continued, "Well, you know how, up until recently, we haven't had too many demon attacks? That's because we vanquished the Triad a few months ago. Paige…we fulfilled _our_ destiny as the Charmed Ones. Now that power has been passed down to Fi and Molly. Demons have been attacking only recently because they know that the Phillips' would be needing our help in the near future, not because they're after us anymore."_

"_B-but…" Paige replied. "But we still have our powers!"_

_Phoebe shook her head. "Not all of them. We haven't had use for the Power of Three since, but my guess is that if we did try it wouldn't work."_

"_That's just it, the Power of _Three_!"_ _Paige pointed out. "Last time I checked, there are only two Phillips' witches…unless…"_

_Fiona's eyes widened. "You can't be serious…Jack's a…"_

"_No, no, no," Phoebe assured her. "He's still human. You and Molly have the Power of Two. Apparently the power changes to adapt to each generation. Which sort of explains why you two have some of the same powers as we do. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of you, if not both, develop telekinesis."_

_The three became silent, Fi reflecting on the new information. _This is amazing_, she thought,_ not only am I a witch, but I'm a super powerful witch. I wonder if Daddy knew…_Suddenly she gasped. "Phoebe…my dad…is this the reason he died? Because his sister and wife were going to become the Charmed Ones?"_

"_I don't know, Fi," Phoebe admitted._

_Paige shook her head. "I still don't get it. I thought Wyatt and Chris were supposed to…"_

"_They are," Phoebe assured her. "Fi and Molly are just…temporary Charmed Ones. Destined to fight evil only until Wyatt and Chris come of age. But that will be a long way off, Fi – chances are that you and your mother will be sick of 'fighting the good fight' by then."_

_There was quiet again. Then Paige cleared her throat. "Um, Phoebe…did you tell Piper about this yet?"_

"_Um…well…not really…" Phoebe replied with a sheepish grin. "I just got back from the Underworld a little while ago, and then I called Grams to fill in some of the gaps."_

_Fi raised an eyebrow. "Grams?"_

"_Our grandmother. She died eight years ago. Sometimes we use a summoning spell to talk to her," Paige informed Fi. Then to her sister, she asked, "Where is Piper? We should probably fill her in…together…with Leo nearby…"_

_Laughing, Phoebe turned to leave the attic. "Downstairs in the kitchen. Come on. Fi…you're welcome to come along…"_

"_No thank you," Fi chuckled, herself standing up as well. "I also have to have a conversation I don't want to have."_

_Heading toward the door, Paige gave Fi a sympathetic smile. "Tell your mom I said hi."_

Shaking her head to clear it, Fi braced herself. She was about to knock on the door when she realized it was slightly open. Almost going in, she stopped herself when she heard her mother and Irene talking.

"So are you going to tell me why you didn't stay at the Manor last night?" Irene was saying. "Or do I have to drag it out of you?"

"Irene, I don't want to talk about it. Come on, we have to meet Piper at the club in a half hour."

"Oh no you don't. I'm your best friend, Mol. I can tell when something's bothering you. And it's not just the witch thing…which I still can't get used to, by the way."

"You were the one who kept saying I could read minds!"

"I know…but it's different to tease you about something and then realize it's actually true."

"Well, I wish I could help you, but frankly I'm having some trouble handling it myself."

"Really? I'd be thrilled if I found out I was an all-powerful witch who could read minds."

Fi smirked to herself when there was no response from Molly for a long moment.

"…really?" Molly finally replied.

"Are you kidding, Mol? Think of the possibilities! It's after a show, some guy hits on you, you can tell like _that_ if he's a sleaze ball."

"That…hadn't really occurred to me Irene…"

"Of course it wouldn't. You're such a _pessimist_ it's infuriating sometimes."

"It's kind of hard to stay positive when there's a demon out there trying to kill my family."

"Yes…well…I guess you have a point there…"

"Irene?"

"Yeah?"

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone? And I mean _anyone_. Not Ned, the boys…even Jack and Fi. _Especially_ not Fi."

"Oh my God, Mol, what's the matter?"

"Just promise me!"

"…alright, I swear. Now what's going on with you?"

Fi paused, contemplating letting the adults talk. After all, her mother obviously didn't want her to hear whatever she was about to tell Irene.

Then again…when did that ever stop Fi before?

"So, what is it?" Irene asked after a moment.

"Irene…I saw Rick."

"Rick as in…Fi and Jack's father Rick?"

"No, the guy I've been having a secret affair with. Of _course_ Fi and Jack's father Rick!"

"Well, I'm sorry if I was confused! Molly, Rick died over ten years ago."

"Don't you think I know that?" Molly snapped.

Her jaw dropped, Fi stared at the half-closed door with shock on her face. Her dad had gone to see her mother? Without stopping to see her? She had to admit she'd been hoping to see her father again ever since that incident on the roof a year ago.

After a second, Molly explained, "Look, he wasn't a ghost, exactly. He said he was a…whitelighter, like Paige."

"I guess that's possible, after what I've seen this week…when was this?"

"The other day. When that demon thing attacked me while we were all at the manor. I was running, and I'd twisted my ankle…"

"Funny, you weren't limping when you burst through the doorway."

"That's because Rick…I think the term is 'orbed'…down and healed it for me. Then he orbed me close to the house so I could get away. Irene…Rick saved my life. And he promised to see me again."

"Oh, Mol…"

Fi was frozen outside the door, her feelings a mix of confusion and anger. _How could she not tell me about this? After all that's happened how can she still be keeping secrets?_

Furious, she ran down the hallway, not stopping when the door to the hotel room was opened.

"Fi!" Molly called. "Fi, wait!"

She didn't wait, didn't stop until she'd reached the lobby…then called a cab…then arrived at the Manor.

Not bothering to knock, she ran into the foyer and up the stairs to the attic and started flipping through the Book of Shadows.

"Guys, why is the attic door open…Fi!"

Fi didn't even glance up at Paige as she walked into the room. "Maybe a summoning spell…" she muttered, briefly glancing at each incantation before turning the page.

"A summoning spell for what?" Paige asked, going over to Fi's side. When the young witch didn't respond, she put a hand on the page before it could be turned. "Fi! Snap out of it!" She then snapped her fingers in front of Fi's face.

Shaking her head, Fi blinked, lowering her hands. "What…am I doing here?"

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Molly winced, lowering her eyes. She couldn't bear to look at Paige, the feelings of guilt and shame coming from Fi and Irene only magnifying her own. The four, plus the other two Halliwell sisters, were sitting at a table at P3 a half hour before Molly was to perform. While it was true that the club was booked, Molly agreed to be the opening act that night to put a stop to Phoebe's incessant begging.

However, her music was the last thing on her mind right then. After Fi's probably demon-induced trance earlier that day, she was in _big_ trouble. "I-I wasn't, Paige. I was just so upset, and Irene was prodding me…"

"I was not!" Irene insisted. "I only asked her what was wrong!"

Fi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and in Mom's defense, she didn't mean to tell me…"

"Oh, don't think you're not in trouble too missy," Piper warned. "Just _what_ were you doing outside the door anyway, huh?"

Hesitating, Fi sent nervous glances to the other two sisters. "I…wanted to talk to Mom…about what we were talking about earlier."

"Which we still haven't discussed, by the way," Molly reminded her.

Irene put her head in her hands. "Ugh, I hate all this drama."

"Tell me about it," Piper muttered.

Letting out a long sigh, Paige said, "Well, all I gotta say is that you better _pray_ that the Elders didn't hear about this, or…you-know-who is going to get it. Bad."

"That's it?" Fi exclaimed. "That's all we can do? Pray?"

Grimacing, Paige suggested, "I…guess I could talk to the Elders. If in fact they did find out about this, of course. Maybe if I explain why I wasn't there…you know, I think I can swing it. After all, the bottom line is that he did save a Charmed One…" Paige trailed off as Molly's eyes bugged. "Uh oh."

"Nice going, Paige," Fi said, rolling her eyes.

Molly gaped at Paige, then the other sisters, than Fi. "W-what is a…Charmed One?"

"You didn't know about us? After spending almost a week here?" Phoebe asked in confusion.

Paige gave a sheepish smile. "I…well…I guess it never came up. I know I told Fi though."

Piper clenched her fists. "You know, I'm so frustrated I just want to blow something up…"

Everyone jumped up from the table. Heading for the stage, Molly called, "Hey, Irene, didn't you want to run another sound check?"

"Right behind you!" Irene assured her, followed by Phoebe, Fi, and Paige.

Alone at the table, Piper looked down at her hands. "Was it something I said?"

Minutes later, the band, including Carey, had returned from the break room and was tuning their instruments. Molly stood on stage, trying to clear her mind so she'd be able to remember the first word. Ned, Jack, and Clu had arrived and were sitting at a table with Fi, and the sisters were each on a stool at the bar. All eyes were on here, especially Phoebe, who was nearly falling off her stool in excitement.

Turning around to face the band, Molly gave them a small grateful smile, "Sorry about the impromptu sound check, guys. Um, Irene wanted to go through the number one more time before Piper let the crowd in."

"It's okay, Molly," Carey assured her. "I know how my mom is."

_Sorry, Irene,_ Molly thought, suppressing a chuckle. Clearing her throat, she smiled at the "audience" and listened for the cue as the music began to play. "Walkin' down the sidewalk, in New York City snow…a stranger brushed against us, his face was all in shadow…a shiver ran right down my spine, I pulled your arm through mine…"

"I-I shut…my…eyes…" Molly trailed off, stumbling a bit. Regaining her balance, she tried to continue. "b-but still…could…see…"

She stopped and leaned on the microphone stand as she felt herself getting dizzy. Instead of fainting, though, she stood perfectly still, feeling her eyes glaze over.

The club faded away, soon replaced with a familiar scene.

_She was on top of the San Francisco bridge again. Only…she wasn't on it, per se…she was just watching the two other people on top of it. One was a short blonde woman wearing unnaturally white robes._

_The other was Rick. _

"_Explain yourself," the woman said, a disappointed look on her face._

_Rick didn't look her in the eye. "I'm sorry. But what else could I do? She was in trouble…"_

"_She would have been able to defend herself," the woman informed him. "If you were meant to save Molly, we would have sent you. You disobeyed direct orders by 'saving' her, and now she still does not know what she is capable of."_

_Pain and regret in his tone, Rick pleaded, "I'm so, so sorry. I couldn't help it, she is…was my wife…"_

"_That's no excuse, Rick. A whitelighter is supposed to be strong. You failed to maintain your own willpower," the woman sighed. "How are we supposed to trust that you are strong enough to protect an innocent against a demon attack?"_

_Rick's eyes widened, shaking his head. "No…you can't…"_

"_I'm sorry, but until we decide otherwise…" the woman said with a tone of regret. "…you are to be a ghost once again."_

_Then she held out her hand and Rick was engulfed in a blinding white light._

Molly came back to her senses, massaging her forehead. _I can't believe it happened, just like last time. I'm never singing this song again._

Removing her hand after wiping her eyes to clear them, she was surprised to find that they were wet with tears. _I've got to get out of here._

"Molly!" Irene was on stage next to her, then wrapped her best friend in a hug once she saw that the witch had come back to reality. "Molly! Are you okay?"

Briefly returning the hug, Molly assured her, "I'm alright. I'm alright." She glanced up to find Fi and Phoebe giving her knowing stares. "What?"

"You had a vision, didn't you?" Fi accused, her voice a whisper thanks to the non-family band members who had also gathered.

Molly glared at her. "No. I didn't." Then she lowered herself off the stage and stormed into the women's bathroom. Once she got there, she collapsed into one of the lounge chairs and sobbed.

"Molly?"

"Leave me alone, Phoebe," Molly cried, covering her face so she could only see the other witch's feet as she entered the bathroom.

She felt Phoebe's hand on her shoulder, then a quiet whisper. "What did you see?"

"How did you know?" Molly scoffed, slowly lifting her head.

Phoebe gave her a sympathetic grin. "I have 'em too, remember? My sisters tell me all the time that I make the _weirdest_ faces when I have a vision."

"I didn't look that weird, did I?" Molly joked, giving a short chuckle.

Shaking her head, Phoebe became serious. "Molly…what did you see?"

"Nothing important," Molly answered, a bit sharply. She did not feel like reliving the pain she had experienced during the vision.

Phoebe tensed at the abrupt tone. "Well, I'm sure you'll tell us when you're ready. Speaking of ready, the club's going to open in a few minutes…"

"I'm coming," Molly promised. "It's just…Phoebe, you remember the other night when you said you'd train me?"

Raising an eyebrow, Phoebe replied, "Of course. The offer still stands you know."

"I know," Molly nodded. "And I'm going to take it."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"So Leo, what are you again?" Ned asked, tossing the basketball to Jack.

Jack dribbled, looking to his left and right. Realizing he was trapped by Carey, he threw a half-hearted attempt of a shot to the net. It missed, and was caught by Leo, Piper's husband. Jack and the Bells had decided to invite him on their "guys afternoon out." After finding out that the manor would be full of women, namely the sisters, Fi, and Molly, they'd felt bad for him and couldn't leave him in a proverbial hen house.

Dribbling around the net pole and back on to the court, Leo bounced the ball to teammate Carey. Since there were five guys in total, they were taking turns, and it was Clu's to sit out and referee.

Responding to Ned's question, Leo answered, "Well, I was the sisters' whitelighter. Full whitelighter, that is – not like Paige, who's half-whitelighter and half-witch."

"Was?" Jack asked, only semi-paying attention to the conversation as he concentrated on stealing the ball from the eldest Bell brother.

Leo paused, for a moment standing still on the court. "It's…complicated. You can say I'm sort of a fallen angel. Now I'm human."

"'I'm human,'" Carey repeated, avoiding Jack and passing the ball to Leo. "When was the last time you heard that?"

From a bench near the court, Clu agreed, "Dude, I know what you mean. It's like…we're surrounded."

"Not really," Ned pointed out. "There's five of them and five of us."

Clu hesitated, then argued, "Well, yeah, I guess it just seems that way 'cause…you know…Fi could blow me up if she wanted to."

"Yeah, she nearly roasted me the other day when she was practicing with Paige," Jack agreed, managing to get the ball from Leo and passing it to Ned. When he was able to lower his arms, he rubbed his shoulder. It still hurt a bit from that demon attack.

Shooting the ball and making the basket, Ned pumped a victory fist before replying, "Guys, I don't think we have a right to complain. Leo's around three witches constantly…not to mention witches who are also _women_. Honestly, I don't know how you do it."

"I used to be an angel, remember? That helps. A lot," Leo admitted, once again catching the ball on the rebound and giving it to his teammate. "And plus, Paige and Phoebe moved out recently."

The four played until Carey and Leo reached twenty-one points, winning the game. Ned shrugged at Jack. "Sorry, Jack."

"It's okay, Mr. B," Jack assured him. "It was close."

Breathing a little heavy, Ned walked over to Clu's bench, "Hey, you want to fill in for me this game? I think I need to sit down."

"Sure, Dad," Clu chuckled, joining his brother and Jack.

Leo joined Ned on the bench, also tired. "You boys play. I'm going to sit this one out too."

"I guess being mortal has its downsides," Ned joked.

Smiling in agreement, Leo said, "No kidding."

Jack shook his head, getting the ball from where it had rolled to. "Okay then, since there's three of us, how about a little 'every-man-for-himself' until one of us hits…fifteen?"

"Twenty-one," Carey corrected. At their looks, he explained, "I don't know about you, but I don't want to go back to the manor any sooner than I have to."

Jack and Clu glanced at each other, then replied simultaneously, "Thirty."

"There we go," Carey laughed.

As they played, Jack could feel the other two looking at him every once in a while, then glance at the other before continue playing. Finally sick of it, Jack held up his hands in a classic time out sign and held the ball at his side. "Okay, what's going on?"

"What do you mean, dude?" Clu asked, giving an innocent shrug.

Jack sighed. "You keep…_looking_ at me in this weird way…"

"Oh, we didn't tell you?" Carey replied. "You've had a leaf in your hair for like the past hour."

Raising an eyebrow, Jack said, "No I don't. Come on, spill your guts or I'll sic Fi on you later." Though he knew they were lying, he still checked his hair before adding, "Let's play while we talk, though. I have a feeling you don't want Mr. B and Leo getting on this conversation."

"Okay then," Carey agreed, swiping the ball from Jack and making a basket.

"That didn't count!" Jack argued, catching the ball before it could bounce away from the court. "Alright, time in."

Blocking the shot Jack attempted, Clu began, "Dude, we've been worried about you."

"Why?" Jack asked.

As he stole the ball from his brother Carey explained, "Oh, I dunno… we've got this crazy idea that you might be having some trouble dealing with the fact that your mother and sister are witches. But that's just us."

"Oh," Jack replied lamely. "I don't know. Honestly, I've been trying not to think about it."

"Come on, Jack. You gotta have something," Clu pressed, getting the ball back from Carey, shooting, and smiling with satisfaction as it went in.

Sighing, Jack allowed Clu to catch the ball on the rebound while he gathered his thoughts. "I guess. Well, you know how I hate admitting I was wrong…"

Carey nodded. "Uh huh."

"Oh yeah," Clu added.

Jack glared at them. "Shut up. Anyway, all these years I've been telling Fi that everything she's encountered doesn't really exist, that it's her imagination. After meeting the Halliwell sisters…it's like…could I be proved any _more_ wrong?"

"No, not really," Carey said, answering what was clearly meant to be a rhetorical question.

Glaring at him again, Jack continued, "And it's not just that. These…demons. I'm not even bothered that one attacked me. But…one _did_ go after Mom. And there's a much more powerful one after both my mom and my sister. Guys…I could barely protect my family before. How in the world am I supposed to do any good now? If anything, I'm going to be a burden to them. On top of having to survive when a demon attacks, they're going to have to protect me too."

"Whoa, that's deep stuff," Clu said, standing still with the ball in his hand. "But dude, don't worry about it. I'm sure that's not how they see it."

Carey nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If you think about it, you'll be the only human in the family."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better…how, exactly?" Jack retorted.

Giving a short laugh, Clu explained, "I think what he means is…you'll be the sanity, dude! Whenever Mrs. P or Fi get over the top with this witch stuff…thought I can't see it happening to your mom, but you never know…you'll be the common sense, the person they go to when things get a little too serious."

"And if you think about it," Carey added. "You're going to college in the fall anyway."

"I don't know, maybe," Jack replied, taking the ball from Clu and started bouncing it in place. They'd stopped playing at least a few minutes ago.

Clu and Carey froze, slowly turning to stare at him. Blinking a couple times, Clu gasped, "_What_? When did this happen?"

"It didn't 'happen'…" Jack trailed off, squirming under their gazes. "I've been thinking about it even before we arrived in San Francisco. I figured that Mom and Fi needed me, and I wouldn't be helping them as much if I went to school, whether I stayed at home or away. I was talking to your mom and she said they're thinking of lining up another tour next January, depending on how successful this one is. And from what I've seen so far this summer…the crowds have been nuts. Mom would be crazy not to tour again."

Carey shook his head. "Another tour? Man, I wonder when Mom was planning on springing that on us."

"Focus dude," Clu interrupted, narrowing his eyes at his brother. "Jack, man, you gotta go to school. You know Fi and Mrs. P would hate it if you gave it up because of them."

"I know, I know!" Jack exclaimed, massaging his now-aching forehead. "There's so many pros and cons…I guess I'll have to think it over some more."

There was quiet, then Carey once again grabbed the ball from Jack and made another basket. "I believe that's…_ten_ for me. Come on _ladies_, are you gonna stand there or are you gonna play?"

* * *

Phoebe picked up the hairbrush that lay on the living room table. While the guys were out doing whatever guys did on their day off, she was helping Molly with vision control. The singer wasn't the only one in training – Paige was teaching Fi the art of potion making, with Piper, and her freezing power, on hand just in case 

Concentrating a minute, Phoebe gripped her brush handle. She and Molly and moved on from vision sensing to memory transfer, the latter something Phoebe had invented over the years. She smiled when she was done and held out the brush to her "student." "Okay here's something I learned to do over the years that's really cool.."

"Define 'cool'," Molly replied.

Phoebe chuckled and continued, "No, it really is. Sometimes, if you focus hard enough, you can pick um memories from the last person who touched an object. It's _very_ handy. I can't tell you how many times I've caught my sisters borrowing my clothes without asking."

"I can't imagine. Piper and Paige must never get away with _anything_," Molly joked.

Smiling, Phoebe pointed out, "Yup. The same way Fi and Jack aren't going to be able to get away with anything anymore."

"Huh, I never thought of that…" Molly grinned.

Phoebe couldn't help but do an internal victory dance. Ever since they started a few hours ago, she had been trying to get Molly to loosen up. The new witch had been sullen and serious from the very beginning, treating this lesson as if she were being forced to by law. Phoebe had only been able to get her to smile or at least stop looking like she was in pain in the past hour. "See? Being a psychic witch isn't the worst thing in the world."

"I'm sorry, Phoebe," Molly replied, obviously picking up on the brunette's thoughts either through observation or her mind reading skills. "I'm not _trying_ to be a jerk about this. I'm just…not used to this stuff as much as you are. This is usually Fi's thing, and I'm usually the one telling her she's jumping to conclusions."

"Yes, well…now it's your thing," Phoebe reminded her, now putting the hairbrush in Molly's hand.

There was quiet for a moment, and it was clear by the dazed look on Molly's face that she'd received the vision. When it was over, she laughed. "I can't believe you did that to Piper."

"I was three! And she deserved to have her favorite Barbie doll flushed down the toilet!" Phoebe defended.

Poking her head in from the kitchen, Piper said, "I heard that!"

"Sorry, Piper, but it's true!" Phoebe argued. "You stole my coloring book!"

"It was _my_ coloring book in the first place!" Piper huffed. "You swiped it and doodled all over it, and threw a hissy fit when I took it away!"

Phoebe paused. "Oh…well, I was three!"

"Talk about déjà vu," Molly laughed. "I feel like I'm watching Fi and Jack. Don't tell me I'll have to make you two go to your rooms."

Raising a surprised eyebrow, Piper looked at Phoebe, clearly saying _Well, she's in a good mood._ "Well, the good thing now is," Piper said aloud, "Phoebe's room is in her own apartment."

"Hey!" Phoebe exclaimed, pretending to be insulted. Then she took the brush from Molly and prepared to do the test again. "By the way, that was really good Molly. Let's try th – "

She stopped as she herself received a vision.

_She was at Piper's club…and instantly recognized it as the scene from yesterday. She remembered that she had been on a stool watching Molly perform, but instead she was right next to the singer on stage. After a moment she herself disappeared._

_Then she reappeared, and seemed to be floating near the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. But she wasn't the only one…Molly was next to her, seemingly unaware of her presence. Confused, Phoebe followed Molly's gaze to see that there were, in fact, two people on top of the bridge. She instantly recognized one as an Elder she knew, and the other as Molly's late husband._

_Unsure of what to do, she just watched and waited. She could hear a conversation, and then…_

Phoebe gasped for air as she returned from the vision, staring wide-eyed at Molly. "I-I…y-you…"

"What happened, Phoebe?" Molly asked, putting a steadying hand on the other witch's shoulder.

Obviously noting Phoebe's hesitation to answer, Piper cleared her throat. "Hey, Pheebs? Would you mind coming into the kitchen for a minute? I…need to ask you something about a herb in one of the spells."

"Sure. Be right back, Molly. Practice some of the blocking techniques I showed you," Phoebe instructed, following Piper into the kitchen. Letting out a long, slow breath, she said, "Thanks, Piper."

Getting Phoebe a glass of water, Paige handed it to her and asked, "What's going on?"

"Did something happen?" Fi questioned, immediately putting down the scrying crystal she'd been practicing with.

Phoebe gulped down the water and took a seat on a stool at the island. "Yes, Fi, something did happen. Something…weird. I don't think this has ever happened to me before."

"Is that possible?" Paige joked.

Ignoring Paige, Fi pressed, "Well, what was it? Does it have to do with my mom?"

"Yeah. I think so, anyway," Phoebe breathed between sips of water. She then explained her vision to them, not leaving out a single detail. "It was horrible. There was this light…oh, Fi, I'm so sorry."

Fi furiously wiped a tear from her eye. "No! They can't do this to him! He was only trying to help…"

While Paige comforted Fi, Piper tried to focus. "So, what do you think this means, Pheebs? Well, not the part with Rick and the Elder…that's obvious…I mean, why did you start at the club? Why not just come in…at the bridge."

"That's what I'm figuring out," Phoebe admitted. "And I think I've got it. Piper, you remember how Molly almost passed out on stage yesterday?"

"How can I forget."

Sighing, Phoebe explained, "Well, when I followed her into the bathroom, she confessed that she had a vision. I think…I think the scene at the bridge was what she saw."

"That's ridiculous," Piper scoffed. "She knows how important it is that we know everything that's going on for safety reasons. If Rick's a ghost now, he could be in danger, and she knows that too. She would've told us."

"I'm not so sure about that," Phoebe replied, a note of sadness in her tone.

Anger flickering across Piper's face, she blurted, "But that's just _stupid_…she wouldn't…"

"Who wouldn't?" Fi asked, refocusing her attention on the sisters' conversation.

The two Halliwells traded glances. Then Phoebe broke down and explained their theory of her vision's meaning. "…now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not really surprised. She kept Rick's visit a secret before she told Irene."

"I'm so sick of this," Fi fumed, storming into the living room.

The three sisters stood there for a moment, stunned. Then they heard loud arguing from the living room…then quiet…and then the front door slam.

When neither Phillips witch came into the kitchen, the sisters ran into the living room to find it empty. "Okay…" Paige breathed, looking around. "This can't be good."

"Start trying to find them with your whitelighter sense, Paige," Phoebe ordered, suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread. "In the meantime, come on. We have to go after them."

* * *

Ignoring the calls of the Halliwell sisters, Fi bounded down the manor steps after her mother. This was the last straw. She just _had_ to knock some sense into that witch before someone was hurt because of her reckless denial. 

"Mom!" Fi yelled, watching as Molly ran around the corner. She could already tell where her mother was going – the lot where the bus was parked. It made sense; Molly would want some privacy, and since she didn't have a hotel room of her own her bus room was the only place to go. "Mom, you can't keep doing this!"

"Go back to the manor, Fi!" Molly called back, reaching the bus and going up the steps.

Fi closed the space between them quickly, pounding up the steps. She paused when only Irene was in the common room area, work spread out in front of her. Irene stepped in front of Fi, blocking her path. "_Whoa_ there, Fi. I was just about to go back to the manor. What happened to Molly?"

"Nothing. Yet," Fi panted, so furious that she tried to pass the blonde, but was stopped. "Irene, let me go!"

Giving Fi a worried look, Irene held onto the teen's arms. "Fi, _what's going on_?"

"My mom's a selfish brat, that's what's going on!" Fi snapped, somewhat surprised by her own words, but undeterred in her effort to get by Irene.

Irene froze, shocked. "Fi, why would you…how could you…_say that_…she's your _mother_…"

"I…don't…care!" Fi shouted, finally managing to squeeze past Irene and dart into the back of the bus. Yelling for her mom, she didn't stop running until she burst into Molly's room, practically ripping the door off its hinges. "How _dare_ you…"

Sitting on the bed, Molly jumped to her feet. "How dare _I_? How dare _you_, Fiona! I am your _mother_, you do not use that tone…"

"I don't care!" Fi repeated, more angry than she'd ever been in her entire life. "How could you do that, Mom? How could you keep the fact that Daddy is a ghost again from us? Huh? What the hell was going through your mind?"

Molly paused, then shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do too! Why do you _always_ do this?" Fi cried, tears streaming down her face. _What's happening to me?_ She thought, feeling power and fury pulsing in her veins. _I shouldn't be losing my temper like this…I shouldn't…I shouldn't…_ Still, she yelled, "Why are you always so selfish?"

"You need to calm down," Molly ordered, her own temper visibly rising as she clenched her fists. "I am your mother. I do not have to explain any choices I happen to make."

"You do when they endanger Daddy!" Fi shot back.

There was a flicker of remorse in Molly's eyes, yet she still retorted, "How can I endanger Rick when he's _dead_, huh? He's _dead_, Fiona, dead! He can't come back, he's not _going_ to come back, so we should all get on with our lives!"

"How can you say that?" Fi said, fury making the question come out in almost a whisper. "How can you say that? You saw him, Mom! You saw him!"

"And now he's gone forever! A lot of good that did!" Molly spat.

They both jumped when some of Molly's jewelry suddenly shot off her dresser top, as if swiped by an angry hand.

Fi stared at the dresser, then at her mother. "Was that me? Or you?"

"Who cares any more," Molly seethed.

Tears in her eyes, Fi breathed, "Why are you like this, Mom? What happened to you? Why are you being so selfish about this?"

"Selfish, huh? You should be the one to talk!" Molly retorted.

Fi paused. "W-what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Seattle, Fi!" Molly yelled. "We get home from the tour last year, everything is great…and then all of a sudden my fifteen-year-old daughter doesn't want to live with me anymore! Without any plausible explanation, she packs her bags and goes halfway across the country, and barely visits for a whole year!"

Blinking in surprise, Fi replied quietly, "I told you. I wanted…"

"To stay in one place for a while, yeah, I know!" Molly snapped. "But did you ever stop and think about how you might have hurt someone? Jack was crushed, Fi! Everyone was! We put on a brave face for Annie, but the bottom line is we all felt like you'd jumped ship to get a better life that we couldn't provide for you. We weren't good enough to make you want to stay!"

Fi gasped, her anger rushing back into her system. Stumbling a little as she felt the room shake, she screamed, "You think I _wanted_ to leave? I _had_ to, Mom! If I didn't leave, everyone would have been in danger!"

"Fi, don't start with that…"

"And you know what else?" Fi interrupted, her voice getting louder as her temper rose. "How do you think _I_ felt when Annie joined right after I left? How was I supposed to know that you missed me when you had your own little replacement daughter?"

Eyes wide with disbelief, Molly once again clenched her fists. "_Replacement daughter_! Fiona, how could you even _think_ that anyone could replace you?"

"Not just anyone! Someone who can sing, just like you, someone who had a _normal_ interest and didn't bring up her father every week, someone who was perky and perfect…" Fi rambled on, spouting thoughts of Annie she didn't even realize she'd been harboring.

Molly's face darkened as Fi continued. "Stop it! Yes, Annie and I had some common interests, and maybe I did get along with her better! But you're my _daughter_, Fiona! And no one could ever replace you!"

Feeling herself calm somewhat, Fi was quiet. She was almost going to return to her normal state of mind when…something inside her snapped.

It was weird. She could've sworn she was about to cry and fall into her mother's arms. Now she was being carried away by another wave of anger, and she wasn't sure why.

The room began to shake again. Molly's belongings flew off shelves and her nightstands, drawers even opening on their own and their contents whirling around in the suddenly dense air.

"You're…lying…" Fi breathed between pants, not sure if she even believed what she was saying. "Just like you lied yesterday about your vision. And when you didn't tell me that Daddy visited. You've been lying to me my whole life."

And without warning, she held out her hands at Molly, and flicked them.

Molly would've been burnt to the ground if she hadn't moved out of the way. Her eyes wide with fear as she fell, she tried to crawl to the inexplicably closed door. "F-fiona…no! This isn't you! Snap out of…"

She trailed off, suddenly overcome with anger as well. Rising to her feet, she clenched her fists…and waved her hand.

Fi narrowly avoided the jewelry box that came flying at her. Before either could regain control of themselves, they each began using their power against one another until both were bleeding in various places.

Finally both were exhausted, but still full of rage. Fi felt herself start to glow, and saw her mother radiating as well. Determined to get in one last blow, Fi flicked her hands at the same time Molly flung out her arm.

The clash of power resulted in a resounding _boom_, a force so extreme that the entire back half of the bus was consumed in flames. Immediately snapping out of her trance, Fi watched in horror as her mother fell over onto the bed. Then Fi herself slumped to the floor and blacked out.

* * *

The flames spread fast and far, reaching Fi's room in a matter of seconds. They engulfed everything, aided by the paper files and school workbooks scattered in various places. In a certain drawer, CDs and floppy disks alike melted. 

One certain floppy disk burst into two with a _snap_ loud enough to be heard above the fire. The small ball of light gave a chortle peppered with an Irish brogue, zipping into the adjacent room and watching in satisfaction as the two bodies became surrounded in a ring of fire. Then he flew out the open window, already coming up with the excuse he would give to his superior regarding his year-long disappearance.


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: I was looking at my stats page and realized I haven't thanked anyone yet for their reviews. "Anne Bowman," "Faithfulelf," and "CeredwenFlame" – your reviews are very much appreciated!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Floating outside the bus window, Rick frowned as he gazed into the bedroom, watching as flames licked the bodies of his daughter and wife. He wanted so much to transport in there and save them. But he didn't dare, nor could he even if he did. The Elders had placed a strict restraining order on him, so to speak. Just being this close to them would result in trouble if he was caught.

And disobeying orders wouldn't do any good this time. He was a ghost now, and after being a whitelighter for about a month he was having some trouble adjusting to his new form. He didn't have the power to become solid, like he did to pull Fi up off the roof ledge a year ago. Which was why if Molly and Fi died, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

_Come on, Paige!_ Rick thought. _Where are you?_

As if responding to his silent prayer, Paige orbed into the bedroom. She'd wasn't alone – she'd brought Piper, who froze the room as soon as they landed.

"This place looks like a war zone," Piper remarked, surveying the damage with a grimace.

Looking at the scratches and bruises on both her charges, Paige replied quietly, "Piper…I think it was."

"What do you think happened?" Piper asked as she creased her brow with worry.

"I…have some idea," Paige admitted with a frown. "But I really hope I'm wrong. Come on, move Molly over here so I can orb us all out."

Instead of doing so, Piper suggested, "I think it'd be easier if you dragged Fi over here. If I try to move her mother…well, let's just say I don't want to give Molly any more bruises than she already has."

"Good idea. Help me out," Paige ordered. The two each took one of Fi's arms and dragged the teen closer to the bed.

They were about to leave when Piper hesitated, looking out the window at Rick. "Hey, Paige…do you feel that? Like someone's watching us?"

"I think you mean them," Paige corrected, pointing to her two charges.

Eyes widening in understanding, Piper was silent as Paige orbed them all out of the bedroom to safety.

Rick chuckled, overwhelmed with relief. He was about to follow the four witches when he heard a rustle behind him.

"Well, isn't this fortunate?"

Whirling around, Rick gasped. Standing before him was someone, or rather something, he'd met when he was alive – a ghost hunter he'd encountered in his early days, when he was just beginning his paranormal investigations.

"Ranuk! What are you doing here?" Rick exclaimed, trying to inject some sense of familiarity into his tone. He'd been naïve and young when he first met Ranuk. When the ghost hunter had claimed he was hunting a ghost that was terrorizing humans, Rick had been quick to come to his aid.

Now he realized that those poor lost souls had probably been handed over to some power-hungry demon.

A smile forming on his thin lips, Ranuk explained, "My good buddy here happened to mention that you were a ghost again. I just _had_ to come and see for myself."

For the first time Rick saw the tiny ball of light hovering near Ranuk's shoulder. "Bricriu! I thought Fi…"

"Yes, the little duck did manage to keep me trapped in that infernal _disk_ for a while," the spunkie seethed. "But now I'm free, and I must say she's not my favorite little duck right now."

"Did you start this fire? I know it wouldn't be the first time you tried to kill them," Rick accused, anger overpowering his fear for a second.

The spunkie laughed. "Oh, I wish I had the pleasure. But in an even more pleasurable twist – those two humans…excuse me, witches…started it all by their wee little selves."

"That's not what I meant!" Rick hissed, wishing there were some way he could physically harm the Will O' the Wisp.

"You know Rick, it's been great catching up," Ranuk interrupted. Then from the messenger bag he wore, he removed a medium-sized steel cylinder. "But I have to admit, I didn't come for small talk. It turns out one of my clients is dying to attain your soul. No pun intended, of course."

Rick gaped at the hunter, though some part of him was not surprised. He began to transport away. However, Ranuk opened the cylinder and its sucking power took hold of him.

* * *

"Ouch! Paige!" Molly groaned. The entire group – Halliwells, Phillips, and Bells – had gathered after the manor after the explosion. All were in disbelief over what happened, and the humans were trying to get over the shock while the witches figured out what to do next.

Meanwhile, Paige was healing her charges' bruises. Molly's exclamation had been the result of moving the singer's badly burnt arm. "I'm sorry, Molly, but you've got to stop fidgeting!" Paige huffed, then put her hand over the burn. There was a soft glow, and the arm was as good as new.

"Thanks," Molly sighed.

Sitting next to her mother on the couch awaiting her turn, Fi grinned sheepishly at her mother. "Sorry about that one, Mom. But if it helps I think I was aiming for your head."

"It's okay, baby. I think you have me to thank for that black and blue on your wrist," Molly replied, returning her daughter's smile with one of her own.

Shaking her head in total disbelief, Irene asked, "How…how could this _happen_? You got angry so…you just started _attacking_ each other? It makes no sense, I mean…you're mother and daughter, for crying out loud! Mothers and daughters do not try to kill each other with their magic powers!" she finished with a yell. At her husband's raised eyebrow, she added, "Yes, I realize what I just said!"

"Maybe…your powers just kind of took over," Ned suggested. He was sitting on the easy chair, with Irene perched on its arm. "Both of you are new to this witch stuff. Is it possible you just…lost control?"

The sisters were quiet, considering the idea. Phoebe spoke up after a second, "I don't think so. From what Molly and Fi are telling us, it sounds more like they were in an angry trance of some sort, not power mad."

"Trance…there's something we haven't considered," Piper said, a thoughtful look on her face. "Paige, Phoebe – how many times have demons put spells on us to turn us against each other? At least a few."

"At least," Phoebe agreed.

Molly shook her head. After such a traumatizing experience, she was battered both physically and emotionally. The last thing she wanted to be talking about was various ways magic could go wrong. "So you're telling me that I almost killed my daughter because of some demonic spell? Oh, that makes me feel so much better!"

"Mom, sh…" Fi comforted, putting an arm around her mother's shoulder's, the blanket that was wrapped around them both sliding down her free arm. "Everything's going to be okay. There are ways to stop this from happening, a spell or something…right, Paige?"

Stunned by Molly's small breakdown, Paige took a second to respond, "Oh, yeah, of course. A-after I heal you I'll whip up some protection crystals."

"You know, it might be a good idea to make some extra," Piper added, nodding towards Ned and Irene. "The demon already went after Jack…you know?"

"Right. Since you've got everything covered, I'll go up to the attic and start on them," Phoebe offered, starting towards the stairs.

Piper got up from her spot on the coffee table as well. "I'll go with you. Maybe now that we know how the demon attacks, we can finally Id him…her…it. Now, before I go comb the Book, have there been other attacks that you maybe forgot about?" She said that last part with pointed glance at Molly.

Feeling shame rush into her face but keeping eye contact, Molly stated firmly, "No."

"Hold on a minute," Paige interrupted. "Fi, remember the other day…I found you in the attic…and I had to snap you out of it. You were so…frazzled. I think that was an attack. A small one, but an attack."

Fi was quiet, then agreed, "Yeah, I think so too. It was like…one minute I was standing outside the door…then I was in the attic searching through the Book."

"It just…_happens_? One minute you're clear, and then the next you're ready to kill someone?" Irene asked with a shudder. She gave Ned a grateful smile as he put an arm around her.

Not wanting to think about it, Molly only gave a meek nod of her head.

"You know, I think I see a connection here," Phoebe remarked. "Both attacks happened when you were angry to begin with. Maybe the demon's spell feeds on strong emotion."

Tilting her head in thought, Piper acknowledged, "That makes a lot of sense. Okay, Paige and I are going to work upstairs. You guys…especially Molly and Fi…no fights until we've got the protection crystals ready."

"Yes, ma'am," Fi assured her as Piper and Phoebe ran up the stairs.

The room was silent as Paige finished up healing Molly. Luckily, neither were hurt enough to have to go to the hospital – just some wounds and 2nd degree burns that were easily healed with her power. She had just moved on to Fi when the glow dimmed until it vanished. Trying to start it up again, Paige apologized, "I'm so sorry, Fi. I only developed my healing power recently, and I can't…"

"It's alright, Paige. I'm not hurting that much," Fi replied.

Paige sighed, stretching her fingers. "I'm still really sorry about this. You know what, I'll go into the kitchen and get you some ice or aspirin or something so you won't have to suffer too much until I charge up again…so to speak."

"Thanks," Fi replied, rubbing a bruise on her elbow.

Once Paige was gone, Irene and Ned stood up and headed to the foyer. At Molly's raised eyebrow, Irene explained, "I'll go check on the boys. I think they're sitting on the stoop out front…Jack was pretty upset."

"Of course. Tell him…tell him that I'm sorry, and that I'll talk to him when he's ready," Molly said, putting her head in her hands. _I hope _I'll_ be ready when he's ready._

Irene nodded and disappeared into the foyer. Ned gave a sheepish shrug. "I'm gonna go back to check on the bus…check out if it's salvageable…"

The only ones left in the living room, Molly and Fi traded guilty glances. "Oh boy," Molly breathed. She had her knees up to her chest with her arms folded on top. "I think I'm going to have to get Ned something _really_ nice for Christmas this year."

"Count me in," Fi agreed with a chuckle, then turned serious. "I can't believe the bus is…_gone_. What are we going to do about the rest of the tour?"

Molly shook her head. "I don't care about the tour anymore. I don't know how I'm going to be able to perform ever again."

"Oh, Mom…" Fi said, wrapping her mother in a hug. "What are you talking about?"

Leaning her head on Fi's shoulder, Molly explained, "Fiona, you can't really think that I'm going to continue with the tour after all this? I…I don't trust myself. I _can't_. After this week…after seeing what I'm capable of…Baby, last year I could barely get through a song because I had saw you falling off a roof. How…how could I ever perform again when…whenever I close my eyes, I see myself throwing you across the room?"

"Mom, you were in a trance, you couldn't help it. I tried to blow you up, remember?" Fi cried.

Wiping tears from her own eyes, Molly insisted, "That's not an excuse! I…I should have been stronger than that. I _thought_ I was stronger than that. Fiona, baby, I'm so, so sorry…for everything…"

"I'm sorry too," Fiona sobbed, snuggling closer to the mother. The two sat there holding each other, crying. Through the tears, Molly saw Paige come back with a cold compress in her hand, see the scene in the living room, think better of interrupting and go back in the kitchen.

After a few more minutes of quiet sobbing, the two looked up when a bright light flashed in their eyes.

"Aw, isn't this sweet? I think I'm a wee bit touched."

Gasping, Fiona spat, "Bricriu? B-but…how…"

"Is that any way to greet an old friend, little duck?" the spunkie replied. "Ah, Molly, don't think I've forgotten about ye. It's been a while since the fire."

Molly gaped at the ball of light, clueless as to who he was or how he knew her daughter. "W-what…what are you? Fiona, what's going on? What fire?"

"Oh, of course ye wouldn't remember, I was still in your body, I believe. Silly me," Bricriu chuckled.

Leaping to her feet, Fi demanded, "How did you get out of that floppy disk?"

"Thanks to you, actually, and that explosion you created," Bricriu replied with a pleased laugh. "When my cell caught fire it snapped clean in two."

"What do you want now? If you try to take over my mom again, I swear I'll banish your spunkie butt so fast…" Fi threatened, clenching her fists.

The spunkie glowed an angry red. "There there, little duck, I'd watch what ye say. Wouldn't want anything to happen to ye father's soul, now would ye?"

"Rick?" Molly exclaimed, also standing next to her daughter, rage evident in her features. "What did you do to him?"

"It's not so much what _I_ did to him, as the ghost hunter who was hired to capture him."

Fi wrinkled her brow in confusion. "Ghost hunter? Who hired him?"

"I believe I'm not at liberty to discuss that. A full identification would enable ye witches to create an appropriate vanquishing potion, would it not?" the spunkie replied. "Though me master does send ye a message. If you _Charmed Ones_ ever wish your father to be free again, you will meet me master tomorrow night at midnight at that address…with the intention of relinquishing your powers."

The two witches glanced down at the coffee table to find a business card with an address printed on it. When they looked up, Fi hissed, "You cannot be serious…"

"But I am, little duck. And might I add – "

"Hey! What's going on? Who are you?" Paige asked as she bounded into the living room. Piper and Phoebe were just coming down the stairs, some protection crystals in each of their hands.

Giving a menacing chuckle, Bricriu finished, "And might I add, don't bring back up."

With that he zipped away through a window, leaving everyone completely speechless.

* * *

An ice pack in her hand, Paige still stood in the doorway that led from the kitchen into the living room. She and her sisters, as well as Molly, were looking at Fi with expectant faces. "Fi, I think I speak for everyone when I ask…" Paige began, her tone holding some annoyance, along with concern for her youngest charge. "How do you know a little ball of light who apparently is in league with the demon we're after?"

"He's not a ball of light," Fi corrected. "He's a Will 'O the Wisp."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Paige finally went into the living room and handed Fi the ice pack. Crossing her arms, she chided, "Fi…"

"Okay, okay. Just give me a minute – my head is spinning," Fiona begged, holding the ice pack to a spot on her arm and falling back on the couch.

Sitting down next to her daughter, Molly gave the sisters a worried glance. "Maybe it would be better if we talked about this later."

"But…" Paige's argument died on her lips when she noticed that Fi's eyes were closed. The witch had fallen asleep immediately after her head hit the pillow. Sighing, Paige really couldn't blame her. Fi still wasn't healed, and that confrontation with the so-called "Will 'O the Wisp" couldn't have helped. Paige felt so useless – her own charge was going through a tough time, both emotionally and physically, and she couldn't do a thing to help.

On a separate note, she could see the guilt on Molly's face. The mother had naturally insisted that Paige heal her daughter first, but both Paige and Fi agreed that Molly's injuries were more severe and required immediate attention.

Finally giving a simple nod, Paige joined her sisters at the base of the steps. "Okay, but we're talking the minute Fi wakes up."

"Of course," Molly agreed, wrapping an arm around her daughter, obviously having no intent of moving from the couch as long as Fi slept.

Piper put her hand on her hip, the crystals still in her other hand. "Oh, come on, she can't just sleep…we could be in more and more danger if we wait…" At Paige's glare, she groaned. "Alright. But you two better haul your butts upstairs. We've got a lot of work to do if we're going to get them through this."

"Thanks Piper," Paige said as she followed her sisters to the attic. Once there, she took a seat on the rocking chair in the corner and explained, "I'm sorry guys. But they've been through so much I just couldn't…"

"It's okay, Paige," Phoebe assured her, taking a seat on the couch.

After thinking a moment, Paige asked, "Hey…do either of you know what a Will 'O the Wisp is? It might help us figure out what happened so we're not totally in the dark when Fi comes around."

"No, actually," Phoebe admitted. "Which is weird. You would think in eight years of fighting evil we would have encountered one."

"Lord knows we've seen everything else," Piper muttered. Instead of sitting with her sisters, she had gone over to the Book and started flipping the pages. "Well, at any rate it should be in here. The thing also said something about a 'ghost hunter.' Now there's something you think we would've met before."

Paige put her head in her hands. "I should've realized what was going on. I heard them talking in the living room, but I was thinking about how guilty I felt…and I couldn't find the damn ice pack…I'm a horrible whitelighter. They should just clip my wings now."

"Paige, sweetie, don't do that to yourself," Phoebe consoled, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Paige argued, "It's not just the whole 'Will 'O the Wisp' thing. They tried to kill each other, Phoebe! Two of my charges tried to kill each other and I didn't stop it until the whole damn bus had gone up in flames!"

"That's not your fault," Piper reminded her. "From what we read about the demon, he's able to put a shield around his victims when they're in the midst of an emotional breakdown, unable to be reached by orbing."

Paige was about to retort when her oldest sister's words sank in. "Y-you…you identified the demon?"

Smiling, Piper motioned for her to come look at the Book. When Paige did, she abandoned her search for the seemingly nonexistent Will 'O the Wisp page and turned to one that held information about the demon. "We think he's this guy, Spiro. He matches all the criteria."

Wrinkling her brow, Paige asked, "Spyro? Isn't that the name of a dragon in a video game?"

"Yes, Paige, we're fighting Spyro the Dragon," Piper snapped, rolling her eyes.

Chuckling, Phoebe came over and also looked at the Book. "No, Paige, _Spiro_. I think it's Greek for 'spirit', which totally makes sense. He feeds on his victims' emotions, making them so strong that they overpower the witch or human. Those emotions give him power, especially when applied to a witch. Once a witch's emotions are consumed, he can start absorbing their powers."

"That's…really bad," Paige remarked lamely. At her sisters' raised eyebrows, she explained, "Guys, he has _Rick_, Molly's husband, and Fi's father. His plan is already in the works."

"Oh God, I didn't even realize that," Piper gasped.

Reading the fine print at the bottom of the page, Phoebe spoke up, "Hey, guys? You better read this."

"'Spiro destroys his victims on three levels – their emotions, their powers (provided they are witches…" Paige trailed off, gulping. "…and their souls. Contrary to other power-sucking demons, Spiro's victims are not left alive.' Well, that's just freaking' great for us!"

"Souls…" Phoebe said in a thoughtful tone. "You know, now it makes sense that he used a ghost hunter to get Rick. He probably keeps one constantly at his beck and call."

"Like a personal chef," Piper grumbled.

"Hey, there's more," Paige said, pointing to the 'continued' on the bottom. When Piper turned the page, Paige read, "'Spiro has close ties to a network of prophets, using them in his quest for power and…rule of the Underworld. About a millennia old, he's considered a chief candidate for the next Source of All Evil. He will surely rise to that position if the prophecies come to pass - of the vanquishing of the Triad and the second coming of the Charmed Ones.'"

Paige stopped, grasping the full seriousness of the situation. "Well, I think 'we're screwed' would be an understatement."

"Along with 'uh oh' and 'holy crap,'" Piper agreed, shaking her head in disbelief.

* * *

"Wow. When Mom said they blew up the bus…she meant it," Jack remarked. He, Clu, Carey, Ned, and Leo cautiously made their way through the parking lot towards the smoking tour bus. After Paige had rescued Molly and Fi, the fire department had arrived on the scene. They were still squelching some of the flames, but for the most part all that was left was a mangled mess of smoking metal.

Shaking his head, Ned got as close to what used to be the bus as the firefighters would allow. Then he stood there and stared.

Noting this, Clu whispered, "I think Dad will need some time to get over this."

"No kidding," Carey agreed.

Anger rising in his tone, Jack snapped, "I'm having a little trouble feeling sorry for him. He's losing a _bus_. I almost lost my family."

There was quiet, then Leo cleared his throat. "Jack, of course Ned's worried about your mother and sister. He's just…dealing with this in his own way."

"Yeah, dude, it's gotta be easier for him to focus on the bus than whatever demon is after Mrs. P and Fi," Clu reasoned, giving Jack a friendly clap on the back. "Maybe you should do that too."

Jack folded his arms. "I don't see how I can. Clu…Mom and Fi nearly killed each other. I think I would've rather had Fi blow me to bits."

"Look, man, you can't do this to yourself…" Carey trailed off, watching as a fire truck pulled out of the parking lot.

Glancing to where the rest of the firefighters were gathered, Jack could see that all of the flames were now out. There was still a cloud of smoke though. The remaining fire fighters had a short conversation with Ned, then also left.

"Come on, bro, let's go hear the verdict," Clu suggested, going over to his father, his brother behind him.

Left alone with Leo, Jack gave the fallen angel a weak smile and went to sit in on a crate the fire fighters had left behind. He was surprised when Leo followed him. Not meaning to sound rude, Jack asked, "What?"

"Nothing. Just wondering if there's anything you'd like to talk about," Leo replied, sitting down next to Jack.

Jack stared at him. For one, he really didn't know Leo all that well. And the last thing he wanted to do was voice all his worries and fears with a stranger. Hell, if Clu or Carey were sitting next to him he still wouldn't talk. "No, thanks."

"Jack, look, I know this has to be bothering you. Tell me what's on your mind," Leo pressed.

Raising an eyebrow, Jack asked, "Why do you care so much?"

"Well…let's say it's built into my system," Leo chuckled. At Jack's confused face, he explained, "I said I used to be a guardian angel. And a big part of being a guardian angel is naturally caring about people I don't even know. And getting them to talk about what's bothering them so I can help them fix it."

Jack gave a soft chuckle. "So, you used to be an angel who went around helping strangers who didn't know who you really were. Any chance you ran into three angels who drove around in a red Cadillac?"

"Very funny," Leo retorted, scoffing at the _Touched By An Angel_ reference.

Chuckling, Jack replied, "Leo, thanks for the offer, but I'm okay. Really."

"Alright, alright," Leo huffed. "Though if it helps, I know what you're going through."

Feeling a small flash of anger, Jack snapped, possibly a bit too harshly, "You can't know. No one can know. How many people are put in the position where their only family is being attacked by some…oh. Sorry."

"Yeah," Leo sighed. "It's rough, isn't it? Your family is constantly being threatened by every creature of the Underworld and there's not one thing you can do about it. Worse, when a demon _does_ attack you're shooed away, like some child who shouldn't be involved in something he doesn't understand."

Jack gaped at him. _Whoa_. It was like the guy was reading his mind. "Uh, yeah. Something like that. Um, you know, I'm going to see what's going on with Mr. B and the guys."

"Good idea. And I think I'm going to go back to the manor and see how the girls are doing," Leo said, standing up and walking towards the parking lot's exit.

Walking towards where Ned, Clu and Carey were standing in front of the bus door, Jack frowned when he noticed their sullen moods. "Hey…what happened?"

"The bus is totaled," Clu answered for his father, who was obviously speechless.

Carey nodded. "Completely, one hundred percent destroyed. In fact, that's the bathroom over there," he said, pointing to a corner where there was a large pile of rubble.

His mouth open in surprise, Jack surveyed the wreck site. True, the entire bus was charred and some of the back had blown off, but to him it seemed most of the damage was aesthetic. "Come on, Mr. B, there's nothing a little elbow grease won't fix."

"And a whole lot of money," Ned informed him. "We could probably scrape together the money from the concerts we've done already, but the entire engine is wrecked. It's a lot easier to buy a new bus."

Concern in his tone, Carey reminded him, "What about the rest of the tour? We've still got like, a ton more cities to get to."

Ned gave a frustrated groan. "Impossible. First of all, we'd have to go back to Colorado and get more clothes and stuff, not to mention how long it would take to find another bus big enough for all of us. And rescheduling all the concerts we'd miss would be complete chaos. I hate to say it, but Molly's going to have to cancel the rest of the tour."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Dad," Clu remarked, "I think the last thing Mrs. P is worried about is the tour."

Jack tuned out the rest of the conversation, shoving the bus door open and climbing what remained of the steps. He wasn't too worried about his safety – most of the smoke had cleared, and it wasn't like the cause of the original explosion had been a gas leak or anything.

And he wanted to see what was left. It'd make him feel better if his mother and sister hadn't been able to destroy _everything_ with their bare hands.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Most of the furniture had been burnt to the ground. Jack found himself having to step over alarmingly high piles of rubble.

He would've turned back, but there was a soft glow coming from where Fi's room used to be. Curiosity getting the better of him, he managed to squeeze himself down the hallway and push open the door.

The source of the glow was near the window, where Fi's desk used to be. Jack was shocked when he realized it was the spell book Fi had gotten from their aunt.

Carefully tucking the book under his arm, he made his way back to Ned, Clu and Carey.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Turning another page of the Book of Shadows, Molly sighed. She wasn't even sure what she was supposed to be doing. When Fi woke up a few hours ago, the sisters had dragged her and her daughter up to the attic to work on battle preparations. They'd explained that they knew who the demon was now, and while the others tried to come up with an appropriate plan of action she was assigned to vision duty.

She couldn't shake the feeling that the others, even Fi, knew something she didn't, something important. While being kept in the dark completely frustrated her, a part of her really didn't want to know.

Shaking her head, she refocused on the page her fingers had been skimming. _Spiro_, she thought bitterly. According to the sisters, this was the demon that was after her family. The one reason for all their trouble. And the reason Rick was no longer alive.

_Rick._ She hadn't been able to stop thinking about her late husband. Did he know? _Had_ he known? Was that the "truth" he'd been after that night? Did he know that his wife and daughter were witches, and he had gone out that night to protect them?

_Don't go there,_ Molly ordered herself. _Don't even go there. If you do that will stir up all kinds of long put-aside emotions. And Lord knows, the last thing anyone needs right now is more emotions than absolutely necessary._

She forced back the chuckle that crept up into her throat. It almost sounded like a bad action movie tagline.

_Feelings can kill you._

Stifling another laugh, she was distracted as her son entered the room. The smile that had briefly graced her lips was now replaced with a concerned frown. He was obviously uncomfortable being in the manor attic – she didn't need to be the mind reader she was to know that – and paused as he entered.

He cleared his throat, a large book under his arm. "Um, hi…is it okay if I come in?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Paige asked, looking at the book.

Before her brother could answer, Fi jumped up and took it from him. "My spell book! Jack, how did you get it? I thought it would've burnt to a crisp in the fire."

"I'm surprised it didn't," Jack replied, his gaze shifting every few seconds, first falling on each of the sisters. It lingered on Molly for a minute, then switched back to his sister. "The guys and I had gone to check out the bus, and I went inside and…it was glowing. I thought you might need it."

Molly went over to the group, narrowing her eyes at her son. "You went onto the bus? Jack, do you realize how dangerous…"

"It wasn't that bad," Jack interrupted, glaring at her.

She nearly stumbled, grasping the back of the couch. The waves of anger and betrayal coming from her son was enough to make her nauseous.

Putting a hand to her head, she tried to stop the avalanche of thoughts being hurled at her, but found she couldn't.

_How could you do that to Fi? How could you let her do that to you? You're our mother – you're supposed to protect us. I can't do it anymore. I'm only human._

"Oh, Jack…" Molly began, but before she could even put a hand on his shoulder he backed toward the door.

Shaking his head at her, he glanced at the others. "Good luck…with whatever you're doing. I'll see you later."

There was quiet, everyone looking at Molly with sympathy in their eyes. Putting a hand on Molly's shoulder, Phoebe comforted, "Give him some time, Molly. Once you guys have a talk you'll be fine."

"I wish I believed that," Molly admitted, then turned her attention to the book that Fi was now eagerly skimming. "Hey, isn't that the book that Melinda gave you?"

Fi nodded. "Yeah…oh, wow."

"Let me see," Paige begged, turning so she could see. Her jaw dropped. "Huh. Interesting…"

Exasperated, Molly sat down on the storage chest and took the book from her daughter's grasp. "What are you…oh…"

Clearing her throat, Molly read aloud, "'The Power of Two. Legend dictates that there will come a time when the famed…Power of Three will pass on to two witches of nearly equal power, who will also be charged with the task of protecting innocents from demons and other citizens of the Underworld…"

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes wide. Looking up, she found that the sisters and Fi were giving her knowing sympathetic looks. "The Power of Two," she repeated, hardly believing it herself. "Fiona and I…are the next Charmed Ones? I thought that light thing said something about it before, but you mean…he was right?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Piper assured her. "Very rewarding. And half the time it's not even life-threatening."

Molly gaped at her. "_Half_ the time? Piper, I don't want to die, but more importantly I don't want Fiona to die. We're not doing this. Sure, we'll vanquish this _Spiro_ thing, if for the only purpose of getting Rick back. But after that, we're done. Done with Spiro, done with demon fighting…and done with magic all together."

With that, she snapped the book shut and stormed out of the room.

* * *

'That…didn't go as well as I hoped it would," Fi said after a minute of shocked silence. _I can't believe she did that,_ she thought, her anger rising. _She honestly thinks she can just give up magic like that?_ Realizing that just thinking it wasn't enough, she vented to the sisters, "She really thinks she can give magic up just by saying she is? I've _tried_ it already. It doesn't work!"

"I don't think she knows that, sweetie," Phoebe suggested, resting her chin in her hands.

Massaging her forehead, Piper interrupted, "Fi, look, I know you're steamed right now, but you've got to get over this, okay? There's no telling what could happen if you don't calm down."

_Oh, right_. Fi immediately felt like kicking herself. _No! No feeling!_ But what could she do? She was too angry at her mother, and now too upset at herself for being angry. _I need a distraction. Something._ "Maybe I should go talk to Mom…I'm sure she needs to…"

"Oh, hell no!" Piper exclaimed. "Are you crazy? Did it slip your mind that your tour bus was toasted like a marshmallow?"

Grimacing, Fi realized that Piper made sense. "Oh, yeah, sorry. But she's probably really vulnerable right now. Someone…"

"I'll go. I am her whitelighter, after all," Paige offered. She closed her eyes a moment, sensing for Molly. Then she orbed out.

Fi groaned, plopping herself down into the rocking chair Paige had vacated. Rubbing her eyes, she muttered, "How did my life get so complicated?"

"We ask ourselves the same thing every day," Phoebe joked, going over to the potion ingredient table. "Come on, Fi. Help us finish making these protection crystals. I think we still have two left."

Piper got up from the couch and also went over to the table. "Yeah. The sooner we get these done, the better."

_They're trying to distract me,_ Fi thought. It was so obvious – Piper and Phoebe could easily finish off the crystals in minutes. But they wanted to get her mind off everything…the tour…her brother…her Charmed destiny…the possibility that she could die come tomorrow night…her father…her mother…

"I'll…take the crystals we have down to the guys and Irene," Fi suggested instead, grabbing a handful of the circular amethyst stones. "I need to get out of here."

Nodding in understanding, Piper replied, "Okay, just don't leave the manor."

"I won't," Fi assured her as she left the attic. She found the Bells, minus Clu, in the sun room watching television. "Hey guys, what are you watching?"

Carey gave her a blank stare. "I honestly have no idea."

"Oh," Fi sighed, realizing she should've seen that they only had the TV on for background noise. "Where's Clu?"

Looking up at her, Ned answered, "He's talking to Jack. I think they're on the front stoop."

"Oh," Fi repeated. It suddenly occurred to her that she'd been so wrapped up in her own magical world that she'd barely said a word to Carey, Ned and Irene in the past week. Guilt crept up on her, but she pushed it back.

Irene shifted her position on the couch, then asked, "What happened to Molly? I saw her blow out of here a few seconds ago. I would've gone after her but…" She lowered her eyes in shame. "I know this is stupid, but she…just had that dangerous, determined look in her eye…I was afraid to try and stop her."

_Whoa,_ Fi thought in horror. She knew her mom could get in moods sometimes, but it _never_ stopped Irene from stepping into "best friend mode." Gulping, she answered, "It's not stupid. In fact, it's probably good that you didn't go after her. If Spiro magnified her emotions, she…she might've killed you."

Irene's face visibly paled. "Yes, well…wait, who's Spiro?"

"You know, the demon…oh, right…" Fi trailed off with a gasp. _Oh my God, how could we have forgotten to tell them? _From what her memory could recall, they had no idea about Bricriu's visit…or the meeting…or that they had identified the demon…

Letting out a long breath, Fi jumped into the explanation. It took a while, but Fi didn't mind. It gave her something to do other than make backup vanquishing potions and assorted crystals.

"…so, bottom line is…a demon who controls emotions is out to kill us, Dad's soul is trapped by that demon, and Mom and I are the next Charmed Ones," Fi finished, realizing how utterly ridiculous it all sounded. In fact, it sounded like an adventure she'd log into her website if she wasn't so involved in it, and knew now that the supernatural had to be kept secret.

She could only imagine how that would go. It was weird – she'd once put witches in the same category as everything else she'd encountered, whether it be aliens or vampires or evil trolls. Now she realized that magic wasn't just evil creatures out to hurt humans. It was so much more.

"Oh my God," Irene cried, snapping Fi from her reverie. Her head was on Ned's shoulder. "How…how could all this have happened so fast? I-I mean, I had an idea…but dear God, my best friend and her daughter are _Charmed Ones_?"

Consoling his wife, Ned explained, "We're just overwhelmed. This…is a lot to take in. Rick was _my_ best friend. To find out now that his car accident…wasn't an accident…I know you always said it wasn't, but no offense, Fi, none of us really believed you…"

"It's okay, Mr. B," Fi assured him, then examined Carey's face. It wasn't easy. _Poor guy,_ she mused. _First the tour is cancelled_ (she wasn't sure of that fact, but considering the bus was totaled she guessed there was a good chance)_, and now this. I'll have to talk to both him and Clu…and Jack…later, after the fight. Well, if I'm alive then, that is._

She paused, remembering the crystals she held in her hand. "Oh yeah, the sisters told me to give you these. They should protect you from…attacks. Emotional ones, at least. I'm not sure about the physical ones. In that case you should probably yell for Paige as loud as you can."

"Why do _we_ need them? We're not even witches," Carey asked as he and his parents each took a crystal.

Fi was about to respond, but Irene beat her to it. "Because if one of _us_ were attacked, or killed, Fi and Molly would probably be more vulnerable than they've ever been or ever would be," she replied, looking at Fi. "If you want, you can give me the crystals and I'll go give them to Jack and Clu. They're probably not safe out there as it is."

"T-thanks Mrs. B," Fi managed to say, handing over the crystals while Irene went into the hallway.

Giving Ned and Carey a once over and deciding that they weren't in the mood to talk, she sighed and turned to go back up to the attic.

* * *

After orbing out of the manor attic, Paige landed in a park on a grassy hill. She was instantly soaked, but she couldn't tell if it had been caused by the sweat from the sweltering heat or the pouring rain. Due to the weather, the park was empty.

Except for one person, that is. A few feet away Paige spotted Molly, standing as she looked out over the park from her elevated position.

"Molly!" Paige called over the roar of the storm. "Molly, come on! We can talk back at the manor!"

There was no response. Paige tried to get closer, but to her surprise found she couldn't. There was some kind of…force field around her charge…

_Oh God, it's happening again,_ Paige realized with horror. There were other signs of an attack too. Molly was just standing there, the air swirling almost in a tornado formation around her.

Panicking, Paige forced herself to calm down and think. _Okay, she can't hear me over the wind…there has to be a way…_ Then it hit her. Molly could read minds. Maybe if she thought something loud and forceful enough she would hear her.

Paige closed her eyes in concentration.

_**Molly! Molly, listen to me! You have to get past this. You need to be stronger than this.**_

The wind slowed a bit, but the force field was still there.

_**You can hear me! Great! Now, please, listen. I know…we got off to a rocky start. And you don't trust me. But I'm not asking you to fight this demon for me.**_

Finally Molly turned around to face Paige, but didn't say anything.

_**No, not for me. For Fiona. And Jack. And everyone else you care about. Because if you don't go after Spiro, he'll go after you. And so will a bunch of other demons. I hate to tell you this, but what you want doesn't matter anymore. You are a Charmed One. Which means that you are a magnet for every scumbag demon in the Underworld. **_

_**I know it's not…ideal. Trust me, I was reluctant when I found out too. Like I told Fi, the last thing I wanted to do was make potions and risk my life to vanquish a demon. I had a job, and a life outside the job. The last thing I needed was magic coming in and ruining everything.**_

_**But I've found it doesn't ruin everything. Yeah, it's a pain sometimes, but for the most part it's…rewarding. You help so many people, save so many lives…hell, I've saved the whole world at least a few times over.**_

_**The cool part is that you can still have a life. You can still be a singer. You can still go on tour. You can still be a mother to Jack and Fi. The only difference is that you'll have to set aside a few hours a week to kick some demon butt.**_

Paige stopped, surprised that she'd thought so much. It never occurred to her how much she'd really enjoyed being a Charmed One.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was caught off guard when the energy in the air vanished, and there was nothing left but the rain.

_Paige?_

Gasping, Paige looked up at Molly in shock. She'd just heard Molly's voice in her own head. Maybe Molly was able to project her thoughts somehow.

Clearing her throat, Paige replied…

_**Molly, are you okay?**_

_I can let go._

_**Let go of what?**_

_Not what. Who._

_**Rick? What does this have to do with Rick?**_

_Everything. Paige, I don't know how to explain it, but…he knew. He knew that Fi and I would become the Charmed Ones. That was why he was so obsessed with the paranormal. That's what killed him._

_And it's why I haven't been able to let go of him, even after more than ten years. Something in me knew that Rick wasn't killed in a car accident. I simply didn't understand. I couldn't understand until now, after I received my powers._

_I'm almost there, Paige, I can feel it. I'm almost over Rick. I can move on._

_I just have to save him first._

_**So you're accepting the Power of Two…so you can move on?**_

_I would be lying if I said that wasn't part of it. But there's another part. This whole thing…it'd made me realize that there are things out there I have no control over. I think that's why I've rejected the supernatural so much – I couldn't control when it affected my family. This business with Spiro and Rick getting captured made me realize that…that there are some times in life when you just have to deal with whatever comes your way._

_In fact, I think it's what Fi's been trying to tell me all along. And she was right._

_**You should tell Fi that. Something tells me she'd love to hear it.**_

_Don't I know it._

Unable to contain her triumphant smile, Paige decided to speak. "So, you ready to go back to the manor?"

"Oh yeah," Molly answered, also smiling. She glanced down at her drenched clothes and laughed. "I'm soaked!"

"Yeah, that was quite a storm you conjured up," Paige remarked, looking down at her own sopping wet outfit.

Grimacing, Molly replied, "In my defense, it was already raining."

"If you say so," Paige joked. She went over to Molly and grasped one of her wrists. "Come on, let's go."

They disappeared, and once again there was nothing but the grassy hill and the steady rain.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Okay, let's take it from the top people," Piper ordered. The entire group was in the manor living room, having dinner together before Molly and Fi went off to battle in a few hours.

Those gathered let out a simultaneous groan. Clu remarked, "Dude, they've run through this so much even _I _could vanquish this demon guy."

"If you were a super powerful witch," Carey added, taking another bite of his hamburger.

Rolling her eyes, Piper turned back to Molly and Fi. "Like I said, one more time."

"Piper…" Paige interrupted. "I get that you want them to be prepared, and I know Clu was joking, but…I think he has a valid point."

Piper glared at her, then gave a resigned sigh. "Fine. They are _your_ charges, after all. Don't mind me, a former Charmed One with eight years worth of experience…"

"I won't," Paige said, smirking.

Getting up to bring some of the serving dishes into the kitchen, Piper tried to let it go. While she had been sarcastic, they _were_ Paige's charges. And she knew Paige was a competent whitelighter, and that Molly and Fi were now the Charmed Ones…

"Eight…seven…six…" Phoebe began, looking at her watch.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," Phoebe answered, then continued, "Five…four…three…two.."

_Damn,_ Piper thought. _I hate being predictable._ Going back into the living room, the dishes still in hand, she pleaded, "Come on, just say it again. For me. I know you've been practicing all day, but it's your first demon and I can't help it if I'm worried."

"Ah, yes, one of life's many milestones," Ned joked. "First date, high school graduation…vanquishing your first demon…."

Irene gave him a playful smack on the shoulder. "You be quiet. I happen to agree with Piper. I think everyone would feel better if you went through it another time."

"Thank you, Irene," Piper huffed, glad there was at least someone who didn't think she was an obsessive nutcase.

Fi and Molly traded glances. Finally Fi began, "Okay. When we first meet with Spiro, we activate the shield in the protection crystal."

"Then I read his mind to see what he's going to do next…" Molly continued, and they went back and forth, rattling off the process as if repeating a math equation from memory.

When they were done, Piper breathed a contented sigh. "Thank you. Now was that really so hard?"

"Why are you so worried, Piper?" Jack asked. "Haven't you done this dozens of times?"

Piper nodded, then replied, "Well, yes, but that's us. Lately I've been remembering when we were starting out with this demon vanquishing stuff. There was no one around to tell us how it's done, and we were so completely shocked when the first demon attacked us…"

"Maybe because you were dating him," Phoebe pointed out.

Blushing, Piper defended, "That had nothing to do with it. We still didn't know what to do."

"And we didn't have any protection crystals or prepared spells," Phoebe reminded her. "Molly and Fi have that advantage. When you combine that with their natural power, they'll be fine."

Piper had to admit she was right. _We didn't have a plan. And we survived. I guess I'll have to trust their natural instincts._ "Yeah, you're right, I'm just being my usual panicked self."

"Everything will be okay, Piper, They'll be great," Leo assured her as he kissed her forehead.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, everyone…" Molly began, then did a double take in Piper's direction. "Wait. You _dated_ a demon?"

Becoming embarrassed as Phoebe burst into giggles, Piper explained, "Well, I didn't _know_ he was a demon until he tried to kill me. And what are you laughing at, Ms. 'I-married-the-Source-of-All-Evil.'"

"Hey! Let's not bring Cole into this, shall we?" Phoebe retorted. When she realized that everyone was staring at her, her shoulders sagged. "It's a long story."

Fi chuckled. "I'd like to hear that one some time."

"So Paige, how's your track record?" Carey asked.

Tilting her hand in a "so-so" motion, Paige answered, "Eh. Pretty clean. I mean, my husband is human…pure human, not like Cole and Leo where he was something else for a while. Other than the odd demon or witch I'm good."

There was quiet, then the Bells and Jack and Fi turned to stare at Molly.

Raising an eyebrow, Molly said, "What?"

"Mom, I know you don't date much, but if you do…" Jack begged. "Stick to humans."

"Too late for that," Fi muttered.

Jack's eyes widened. "Oh, right. Well, from now on."

"Wait, am I missing something?" Piper questioned, glancing in Molly's direction.

Blushing, Molly replied, "I'm still not convinced he was a merman."

"Yeah, my track record isn't clean either," Fi confessed. "I mean, he was human, but he was a clone."

Piper's mouth was open in surprise, and a quick glance at her sisters proved that they were also stunned. "Jeez, all this _before_ you found out you were witches."

"Well, don't worry," Molly assured them. "With my mind reading power, no demon will be able to get close to me."

Irene smirked. "See? I told you that would come in handy."

They continued to eat in silence for a while. After a few minutes, Molly put down what was left of her nearly untouched cheeseburger. "How did you do it?"

Phoebe glanced at her sisters, then answered, "What do you mean?"

"How did you fight demons for what I'm sure must have been eight very long years without getting killed?" Molly asked, honest confusion and admiration in her voice.

Laughing, Piper and her sisters traded knowing looks. "We haven't.."

"Whoa!" Clu gasped. "Are you all like, ghosts or something?"

"No, not ghosts…although we've _been_ ghosts at least once…" Paige answered.

Shaking her head, Fi asked, "So you've…you've died and come back to life?"

"Many times," Piper replied, with Phoebe nodding in agreement. "It's actually come to be a somewhat common occurrence. It's not that big a deal once you get used to it."

"As long as there's someone to bring you back before you cross over," Leo reminded her.

Piper kissed him on the forehead. "I know. I probably owe you several very huge favors."

"Don't get us wrong, it's terrifying when it happens," Phoebe added.

Thinking about her older sister Prue, Piper let out a deep sigh. A quick look at Phoebe and Leo proved they also were thinking about the Charmed One who was killed by a demon five years ago. Wiping a tear from her eye with a napkin, Piper said, "And sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can't reverse it. Even with Charmed power."

"I take it you've tried," Ned commented after a moment or two of silence.

Nodding, Piper admitted, "Yes, very hard."

"H-have…" Fi began. "H-have you ever been able to contact this person…after?"

Phoebe shook her head, tears in her own eyes. "No."

"Sometimes they can't contact you," Paige remarked suddenly, sending a meaningful glance at Fi. "No matter how much they want to."

After a second Fi got her meaning and her eyes widened. "You've talked to Daddy? You've met him?"

At this, everyone turned to look at Paige. Her face reddening, she sighed, "Yes. I meant to tell you, but it never seemed like a good time. The fact is, when he became a whitelighter we crossed paths and I actually…became friends with him."

There was quiet again. Piper could see that both Molly and her children were looking at Paige with jealousy in their eyes. At first Piper felt bad for her sister, but then it occurred to her. She would feel the same way if Molly was close, personal friends with Prue somehow.

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Paige went on. "But it never seemed…appropriate. However, he said that he loves all of you…and I think he wouldn't want you doing this just to save him. However, if he was aware of what you were doing he would be proud of all of you."

There was a long silence. It went on through the rest of the dinner, with those who could manage to eat finishing quickly.

Finally Irene, Ned, and the boys stood up to leave. "Thank you for the dinner, Piper. We…we should be going back to the hotel. I'm sure you still have…preparations to make…" She paused as she passed Molly. "Call us…the _millisecond_ you get back."

"If we get back," Molly corrected, hugging her best friend.

"No," Jack interrupted. "_When_ you get back."

Watching as everyone said good-bye, hopefully not for the last time, Piper turned to her sisters. She was relieved to see that she wasn't the only one with tears in her eyes. _This must be so hard on her,_ Piper mused, looking at Paige. _If they don't survive this, not only does she lose two of her charges, but she could get her wings clipped._

Putting a comforting arm around her sister, Piper squeezed her shoulders and said, "Come on, help me clean up."

* * *

A protective arm around her daughter, Molly stood with Fi in front of a building. To passerby, the two weren't attention worthy, just a mother and daughter maybe preparing for a business meeting. Appearances were deceiving; no one could have known they were going to fight an all-powerful demon…unless they happened to notice the vanquishing potion stuffed in Molly's shoe or the crystal shoved in Fi's pants pocket.

Sighing, Molly glanced down at the business card in her free hand. Funny, she wouldn't suspect that a demon's lair was a fancy office building in San Francisco. When she mentioned this to the sisters earlier, they'd explained that the Book said that Spiro was a shape shifter demon. This probably meant that he was living two lives – successful businessman in the human world, and a ruthless demonic killer in the Underworld. A thought that wasn't especially comforting when Molly thought of the many businesspeople that Irene dealt with in a typical week.

Still quelling the fear in the pit of her stomach, she turned to look over at Fi. The brunette was starting up at the building, particularly the roof. Molly didn't have to read her mind to know she was thinking of when she almost fell of one in New York over a year ago.

Molly gave Fi's shoulder a light squeeze. "So, this is it. You ready?"

"No," Fi admitted without hesitation.

A small reassuring smile on her face, Molly replied, "Good, neither am I. Let's go."

They entered into a large foyer, what one would expect from a normal office building. Fi gave her mother a sheepish grin. "Um…what are we supposed to do? Go through customs? I guess I'm not familiar with this side of the supernatural."

"I wouldn't think anybody is," Molly answered. After a quick look around and seeing that no one was paying any attention to them, she approached the front desk, Fi at her side. "Hello, I was given this business card by a…messenger of the company?"

"State your name and nature of business," the employee answered, barely looking at them as he worked at his computer.

Raising an eyebrow, Fi responded, "Okay then…my name is Fiona Phillips and this is my mom, Molly, and we –"

"Oh, of course!" The worker interrupted, snapping his head up in attention. Molly had to gulp down the sudden lump in her throat when she noticed what could only be described as sinister gleam in his eyes. "Mr. Spiro is expecting you. He's on the top floor. There's restricted access so I will have to take you there myself. Before I do, however, I'll have to ask that you step into our Security Room."

"Security Room?" Molly repeated, already concocting dozens of meanings of the label in her head.

The receptionist nodded, smirking at their obvious reluctance. "Yes. When Mr. Spiro meets with beings of your type, namely witches, he requires that they are thoroughly searched and removed of any and all vanquishing potions, written spells, and/or protection crystals. You understand, don't you?"

"B-but...y-you can't…" Fi sputtered, her face completely white.

Catching her reflection on a polished surface, Molly wasn't surprised to see that her face was ashen as well. _Oh, God,_ she thought, glancing at her daughter, who was on the verge of panicking. She couldn't blame her. Molly herself was considering running out the door and begging the former Charmed Ones to handle this themselves. Much to her shame, she found herself projecting this thought to her daughter.

_We could leave. Go back to the manor. Meeting with Spiro now would be suicide. At least if we go back we can find another way in. Maybe Paige can orb us into Spiro's office. Or, better yet, bring the sisters with us._

There was a flicker of surprise in Fi's eyes, then one of disappointment. The determined response came immediately.

_**No. This is our battle to fight. By ourselves. I think Daddy would want it that way.**_

_Fiona, listen, I realize this isn't perhaps the bravest alternative, but going in there with nothing is just insane._

_**We wouldn't be going in there with nothing. We'd have our power. And if we're not confident that our powers are enough…then neither will the entire Underworld.**_

_**He's testing us, Mom. And I intend to pass. With or without you.**_

Molly lowered her eyes in embarrassment, realizing for the hundredth time that her teenaged daughter was wise beyond her years. Giving a barely perceptible nod of agreement, she turned her attention back to the receptionist. "Of course we understand."

"Good," he replied. "Follow me."

Minutes later Molly and Fi were totally unarmed and riding the elevator to Spiro's floor. Though the receptionist's presence pretty much nixed any conversation, Molly got the feeling that even if she and Fi could've talked they wouldn't have. She let out several deep breaths as the elevator door opened into a short hallway with only one door at the end. She then noted that Fi did the same.

"Mr. Spiro's office is through that door," the receptionist said. He didn't say anything more, even after the two witches stepped into the hallway. He simply smirked at them and pressed the button that closed the elevator door.

That only made Molly even more nervous, if that was possible. It was clear that the demon or warlock or whatever it was did not expect them to need the elevator again.

They approached the door, and Molly knocked. _Here we go._

A deep voice called from the other side of the door. "Come in."

Entering the spacious office, Molly had to force herself not to stop and stare. She was sure it was bigger than her first apartment, with blue marble floor and walls painted varying shades of beige. What drew her eye, however, was not the color palette but the case along the wall to her left. Dozens of silver cylinders lined the shelves, each with a name carved into the front. She also noticed that there was one on top of the large wooden desk.

Sitting at the desk was Spiro. Molly had never given much thought to what the face of evil would look like, but she was still surprised to be confronted with what could pass for an average human male. What shocked her more was that he was handsome, with dark blue eyes and neatly cut brown hair. He was dressed in a typical gray suit and red tie, putting away some papers as they neared the two chairs in front of the desk.

He also wasn't alone. On one side of him was a dark haired man with a large bag slung over his shoulder…and a spunkie floating on the other side.

"Bricriu," Fiona whispered.

Molly could see her clench her fists, probably itching to blow the spunkie to pieces. _Fiona, get a hold of yourself. The last thing we want to do is lose control. _

_**I know, sorry. It's just that we have a history, and he makes me so mad I could…okay, I'll calm down, but all I know is that when we take out Spiro, Bricriu is going down with him.**_

"Ladies, take a seat," Spiro said, indicating the two leather chairs in front of the desk. When they did, he began, "Let's start off with introductions. To my left is ghost hunter Ranuk. And to my right is one of my servants, a spunkie. I believe you've met."

Fi glared at the ball of light. "A few times."

"Yes, well, they were about to leave of course," Spiro replied, standing and opening a door in the back of the room. "If you gentlemen will wait in there, we can resume our meeting after I finish up here."

While they waited, Molly heard Fi think, _He's very loose with the word "gentlemen," isn't he?_ She was so nervous right then that she almost laughed.

"Frankly I'm surprised you're here," Spiro continued, sitting back down in his leather swivel chair. "You are working with the Charmed Ones…excuse me, former Charmed Ones, and they always do their research. I was sure after you'd read my 'profile' of sorts, at least after you were removed of your weapons, you would have run out of here with your proverbial tail between your legs."

Some annoyance in her tone, Fi retorted, "We don't run. Besides, we really didn't need those potions anyway. Those were for personal safety, just in case."

"Well, no offense taken. After all, you are rather new at this. Well, one of you is anyway," Spiro chuckled with a pointed look at Molly.

_Say something1_ Molly ordered herself. "I can hold my own, I'm sure."

Sighing, Spiro reached into his desk drawer and pulled out two typed documents, each several pages long. "Alright, we all know why you two are here. Let's drop the small talk, shall we?"

"You read my mind," Fi spat, raising her hands.

_Fiona, no!_ Molly ordered, causing her daughter to hesitate. _Not now. We have to catch him off guard if we have any shot of vanquishing him without potions._ She was relieved when Fi put her arms back on the chair arm rests. Luckily Spiro had remained oblivious to the exchange.

Handing each of the witches a set of papers, Spiro explained, "These are the contracts I have all of my clients sign for legal and safety purposes. Take your time reading them, and be sure to ask if you have any questions."

_You're kidding me,_ Molly thought, raising an eyebrow at her daughter, who was also surprised.

_**What do we do now?**_ Fi asked.

Molly shrugged, then began to read the contract. _Read the contract. We won't sign it, of course. At least now we have some time to think of what to do next vanquishing-wise._

_**Okay. If you think of anything, send it my way,**_ Fi replied, her eyes seemingly riveted to the contract.

Finding herself amused by the fact that legal jargon could be applied to demonic dealings, Molly actually did read the first few paragraphs of the contract. However, her mind began to circle back to the impending battle.

_I can't believe I let Fiona talk me into this,_ Molly began to think as she skimmed the document. _She doesn't realize that this isn't just another one of her little adventures with werewolves or gremlins or Lord knows whatever else she thinks she's encountered. This is a real threat, and she doesn't realize that we could both get killed. Doesn't she see that there's no way we can vanquish Spiro on our own? Doesn't she care? _

_No, she doesn't. She doesn't care about me, or even getting Rick back. She's off in her own fantasy world thinking about her new "status" as a Charmed One and the Power of Two…_

Her thoughts becoming more and more angry, Molly glanced up from the contract. Spiro had his chin in his hand, looking over some papers and smiling to himself.

_Fi's so wrapped up in this "Charmed One" thing…who's to say that Spiro_ _really is that bad of a demon…he doesn't look like one, and for Fi it wouldn't be the first case of mistaken identity…_

Next thing she knew, she was placing the contract on the desk and standing up to face Fi. Spiro also put his papers on the desk, got out of his seat and put a hand on Molly's shoulder.

Fi almost fell out of her chair in her haste to stand up to face them. "W-what…M-mom, what's going on…" Her eyes widened. "Mom, snap out of it! You don't know what you're doing!"

"She can't hear you, Fiona," Spiro chuckled. "Well, let me rephrase that. She can hear your words, but not the pitiful begging in your voice. Paige was only able to break my shield earlier because I was releasing my hold on her anyway."

Divided between glaring at Spiro and glancing at Molly with worried eyes, Fi replied, "I don't get it. Last time you took control of _both_ of us. Wouldn't it make more sense to make us both use up our powers?"

Spiro grinned, but kept his hand firmly on Molly's shoulder. "Nice try. But you and I both know that when two witches of your caliber start using up every bit of their power and clash, an explosion may occur…that could wipe out even me."

"I had to give it a shot," Fi muttered.

"Besides, even if I was stupid enough to fall for that, I still wouldn't do it, at least not right away," Spiro continued. "Fiona, I've been after you for years, since the time when your father was still alive. I've seen you reduce countless of my underlings, whether they be spunkies or trolls or otherwise, to nothing, at the mercy of your power. Now you are finally at the mercy of mine. And I intend to make you suffer."

"By…by turning my own mother against me?" Fiona spat. "That's low, even for a demon."

Spiro laughed. "I know. Now I'll let your mother begin ripping you to shreds," He picked up the canister that had been on his desk. Now both Molly and Fi could see that it had Rick's name engraved across the front. "And I will go put this away."

Molly didn't even blink as she raised her hand to fling her daughter across the room.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Fi tried to stand her ground, gripping the desk edge with all her might. She still ended up flying backwards a bit and landing on her butt on the marble floor.

_Ouch_, she thought, rubbing her sore tailbone as she pulled herself to her feet. Backing away from her mother, she began thinking of a plan while she dodged telekinetic attacks. _Okay, Mom's completely gone, and I won't be able to do much with Spiro in the room, Boy am I screwed. _Shaking her head, Fi refocused her thoughts and made herself ignore the amused smile on Spiro's face. _Maybe I can use my power some how…_

She continued to run around the room but soon found herself getting tired. _I can't do this forever! Come on, Fiona, think! The sisters said that they vanquished their first demon without any potions…how did they do it…come on, you're a Charmed One now, you have the Power of Two…_

_Wait, that's it!_ Fiona almost stopped in her tracks as inspiration struck, but hastily resumed her running when a piece of furniture came flying at her. _The Power of Two! We have to use the Power of Two!_

Her brief moment of elation turned sour when she realized something. _But how can I possibly tap into it by myself? If only I could stop and think for a second…_Fiona pleaded, but she knew between Spiro and her mother she'd be dead before she could catch her next breath. About to hide behind a display cabinet, she raised her hands to shield herself from an oncoming chair.

Instead of it blowing up like she intended, she was shocked when it froze in midair. A quick glance around proved that her mother and Spiro were frozen as well.

"What…the…heck…" Fi said aloud, looking around in confusion. "What…how did…oh, who cares at this point?"

Pacing the floor, Fi attempted to think of what to do. _Well, it's the Power of Two, so it would stand to reason that it would help if my mom and I were in contact somehow…_

_But how can I do that when she wants to kill me?_

She didn't have the chance to answer her own question. Without warning, the room unfroze and the action resumed as if nothing had happened. At least now Fi had some sort of idea of what to do.

Fighting some more, Fi managed to get some kind of handle on her new power, which meant she didn't have to use her more dangerous power as much. Fi glanced over to see what Spiro was doing, and found to her horror that he was now concentrating on Molly, holding his hand out as if channeling his power. _He must be getting nervous since she hasn't killed me yet,_ Fi thought with a triumphant smirk. This was great for her – rather than being strictly defense in case she caused trouble, he now had to focus on playing offense too.

The downside though was that now it would be that much harder for Fi to get a hold of Molly and concentrate on the Power of Two. However, she soon formed an idea when she noticed how close her mother was to the desk.

She worked her way across the room, using muscles she was sure she'd never used before to dodge attacks. Knowing that Molly would probably knock the furniture out from under her, Fi jumped on the chair then immediately leaped onto the desk just as the chair violently crashed against the wall. Fi almost didn't have time to position herself on the desk before she leaped into the air, somehow managing to land squarely on her mother's back.

_Uh oh,_ Fi thought. Her plan had been to tackle Molly to the ground in the safest way possible. But somehow she'd remained standing and was now trying to fling Fi off with all her strength. _Spiro's power must be helping her physically too. There's no way she's this strong by herself. _

She shut her eyes, trying not to lose her grip or the insides of her stomach as she was whirled around. _I will not throw up…I will not throw up…_

_Okay now, focus. The Power of Two._

Taking a deep breath, she began chanting loudly, "The Power of Two, the Power of Two, the Power of Two, the Power of Two…"

Much to her amazement and intense relief, Molly stood still after a few seconds. The light that had been emanating from Spiro's hand dimmed until it disappeared, and the shocked demon was flung against the side wall.

Fi winced as the movement caused Molly to lose her strength and fall to the floor, her daughter landing on top of her. _Oh man that hurts,_ she moaned, taking a much needed moment to catch her breath. _But at least it's over._

"Fiona?"

Smiling, Fi jumped up with renewed energy and hugged her mother around her neck. "Mom! You're you, right?"

"Yes, thanks to you," Molly answered, hugging her daughter back and rising to a sitting position. "Oh God, I'm so sorry, baby…"

"Sh, it's okay, you couldn't help it," Fi assured her, still not letting go.

They looked towards the side door as Ranuk burst in, trailed by Bricriu. Staring with horror at Spiro's unconscious form, Ranuk sputtered, "How is this possible?"

"Looks like Mr. Spiro underestimated the little ducks," Bricriu seethed.

Fiona leapt to her feet, her mother doing the same. A smug grin on her face, Fi raised her hands in the spunkie's direction. "Bricriu, I almost hate to do this. We do have a history together after all, it's almost a shame."

"Little duck?" Bricriu stammered. "W-what…now, ye don' want to do what I think ye going to do…"

Tilting her head, Fi didn't stop smiling. "I think I do."

Then she flicked her hands and the spunkie disintegrated into a pile of ashes.

Glancing back at her mother, Fi smirked. "That felt _really_ good."

"Really? Let me try," Molly replied, glaring at Ranuk. Before the terrified demon could shimmer away, she concentrated on a decorative athame, telekinetically lifted it out of its holder and stabbed the ghost hunter in the stomach. He too was engulfed in flames.

Rolling her shoulders back, Molly smiled back at Fi. "You're right. That does feel good."

"Come on, let's get Daddy," Fi responded, finding Rick's canister and taking it off the shelf. After she tried to screw the top off with little success, she looked at Molly. "A little help, please?"

"I don't think that will be possible."

The two whirled around and gasped. Spiro had managed to pull himself up to a standing position and conjure a fireball in his hand.

Fi grasped Molly's hand. When her mother looked at her in confusion, she explained telekinetically, _**We need to use the Power of Two. Together.**_

_How? I know you just called on it a few minutes ago, but it only stunned him…_

_**I don't know,**_ Fi admitted. _**Maybe a spell? But you're the songwriter. If we've got any hope here you need to come up with something now.**_

_I'll try…_Molly closed her eyes, attempting to formulate some kind of rhyme in her head and ignore the fireballs she and Fi were dodging.

_**Come on, Mom…**_

Molly's eyes suddenly flew open as inspiration struck. Well, not so much inspiration but a memory.

_Fi, there was this rhyme…I thought the Power of Two sounded familiar…my mother used to tell me it all the time when Rick and I were together…I thought she was talking about love but it's clear now that she meant our Charmed power…_

_**That's fine and great, Mom, but can we save story time for later?**_

_Right, sorry._

"The Power of Two will get us through," Molly began, gripping her daughter's hand hard. "The Power of Two will get us through."

Fi breathed a sigh of relief, already feeling the power course through her veins. "The Power of Two will get us through. The Power of Two will get us through. The Power of Two will get us through."

They soon were repeating the phrase in one voice, the air swirling around them. Fi watched in amazement as they formed a protective shield that the fireballs could not penetrate.

"No…." Spiro cried as he began to burn. "No! This…is…not…_over_!"

Then he was engulfed by flames and destroyed.

Molly let out an incredulous laugh. "I can't believe we did it."

"I can," Fi replied.

Their eyes widened as the glass in front of the canisters' display case glowed a golden light…and exploded into tiny shards. Thrown to the ground, they watched as dozens upon dozens of white lights burst from their canisters and flew away through the ceiling.

Fi's attention was riveted to Rick's canister. The top had burst open as well, and Rick's soul floated away with the rest. Turning back to her mother, she smiled. "Did you see that?"

"Yes," Molly replied with a grin.

Her satisfied smile wide, Fi rested her head back on the floor, too exhausted to move.

* * *

"Are they back yet?"

Jack gripped Irene's cell phone so hard his knuckles turned white. It was nearing one in the morning, but no one even thought of going to sleep. They were all gathered in Ned and Irene's hotel room, anxiously waiting for the sisters to call with news about Molly and Fi. Needless to say, they'd all jumped out of their skin when the phone finally _did_ ring. Jack had snatched up the cell phone before Irene could even move her hand.

From the other end of the line, Piper let out a relieved sigh. "Technically no. But they called for Paige about two seconds ago and she just orbed out to get them. They should be back any minute now."

"Thanks, Piper," Jack replied, hanging up the phone before the witch could say anything more. Glancing back up at the others, he smiled. "They did it. Paige just orbed out to get them."

"Oh, thank God!" Irene exclaimed, hugging Jack out of pure excitement.

Startled, Jack stumbled a bit. "Yeah. We should get going."

"Way ahead of you," Ned replied. He was already at the door, the keys to the van they'd rented in hand.

The ride to the manor was torturous for Jack, much like the past hour or so had been. True, now he knew they were okay, but he knew his nerves wouldn't calm until he saw that for himself.

Throughout the night bitterness had been mixing with his fear for his family's safety. The two people he cared about more than anybody else in the world would have to fight a super powerful demon…and all he could do was sit there and worry. He felt like he should have _done_ something, gone along with them to make sure they were safe. He _knew_ it was ridiculous, that he wouldn't have been able to do anything against Spiro, but he couldn't help it. He'd looked after his mother and sister his whole life, and old habits died hard.

The fact that they were coming back to the manor proved once and for all that they would be fine without him. But maybe being depended on was a hundred times better than not being needed at all.

And perhaps that was partly why he was so reluctant to go away to college. On some level, he was so afraid that if he left…his mom and Fi would become so wrapped up in being Charmed Ones that they would forget about him. That fear was so strong that several times he'd almost wished that he'd been made a Charmed One too.

But then he remembered the demons, the spells and all that weird stuff and he got over it.

_I wish I knew what to feel,_ Jack found himself musing. _I wish I knew what to think, what reasoning I could use that would make me be okay with this whole witch thing._

Jack shook his head. _Forget about that for now. What matters at the moment is that Mom and Fi vanquished the demon and will be at the manor safe and sound._

"Dude, what's wrong?" Clu asked, interrupting Jack's stream of thought.

Blinking a few times, Jack blurted, "N-nothing! I-I'm just…worried about Mom and Fi."

"Why?" Carey asked. "They survived the battle with the demon thing."

Jack thought for a second, then managed to reply, "I-I know, but they're probably in a lot of pain. I just can't wait to see them."

However, once they reached the manor and Piper opened the door for them, it was clear that they would have to wait a while for congratulatory hugs. Fi was passed out on the living room couch. Paige was working her whitelighter power on her, healing one bruise or scratch at a time.

"Where's Mom?" Jack asked.

"In the sunroom, sleeping on the couch," Phoebe informed him with a reassuring smile. "She's in surprisingly good shape injury wise, but I sense that she's emotionally and power drained."

Jack went to kneel by his sister, therefore next to Paige, but he heard the others continue to talk.

"What…what happened?" Irene asked. "They vanquished the demon, right?"

Leo replied, "Yes. Paige said the 'office' was a wreck when she orbed in, covered with broken glass and destroyed furniture. Molly and Fi had been on the verge of fainting, already sprawled out on the floor."

"I guess we'll have to wait until the morning to hear the full story," Ned remarked, then added, "Although, guessing from how deeply Fi is sleeping, it might be afternoon."

Carey yawned. "Now that I know they're okay, I'm a little sleepy myself."

"I would've explained that they were probably going to be exhausted and that you should wait until morning," Piper said. Jack could feel her glaring at him. "But _somebody_ cut me off."

Blushing, Jack called, "Sorry, Piper."

Piper gave a loud sigh. "It's alright. You all might as well stay here. Something tells me you won't be happy in a hotel without Molly and Fi. We can probably fit you all…if Paige orbs herself and Phoebe home for the night when she's done, and we inflate a few air mattresses, I think we can manage."

Jack woke up the next morning rubbing the back of his aching neck. At first he looked around in a confused stupor, forgetting where he was. Then it all came rushing back to him. He was in the Halliwell manor, and had fallen asleep in the living room easy chair.

Quickly glancing over to the couch, Jack regretted the motion when the pain increased ten fold. _Ouch, shouldn't have done that._

However, the pain became less of an issue when he saw that the couch was empty, which meant that Fi was feeling well enough to be walking around. He sat up and looked at the clock on the mantel. Startled to find that it was past 11 'o clock in the morning, he stumbled into the kitchen, expecting everyone to be out doing their own thing.

He was surprised again when he found that the kitchen was filled to the brim with almost every member of their group. Gaping at the bustling scene, he was almost knocked off his feet when Fi came behind him and wrapped him in a bear hug.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Fi greeted, her arms now around his neck.

Jack whirled around and returned the hug with all his strength. "Fi! You have no idea how much I was worried about you!"

"No more than usual, probably," Fi teased. Her arm still around his shoulders, she guided him to a vacant seat in the kitchen island. "Come on, Piper cooked up a breakfast buffet!"

Raising an eyebrow at his sister, Jack remarked, "You're awfully chipper for someone who was almost killed by a demon last night."

"That's what I've been saying," Irene muttered in an exhausted tone, not looking up from the paper she was reading. She and Ned took up the other seats at the island. Clu, Carey, Paige and Phoebe were seated around the table a few feet away. Piper was serving breakfast, helped by Leo, and their sons were each in their high chair. Molly must have been somewhere else, maybe still sleeping.

After Jack exchanged "good morning's" with everyone, he commented, "What's going on? Usually Fi and Clu are the only ones who sleep this late."

"Hey!" the offended parties replied in unison.

Chuckling, Ned answered, "Everyone was burnt out from last night. Worrying takes a lot out of you, you know. Piper and I got up around 9, and everyone else has been trailing in after."

"Where's Mom?" Jack asked, noting that they were missing a person.

Taking a sip of her coffee, Phoebe called, "She just woke up a few minutes ago. She'll be here in a few minutes."

"Oh," Jack replied, accepting a plate of food from Piper. "Thanks. So, Fi, have you started telling the story of what happened last night?"

Fi shook her head. "Nope, we were waiting for you. I might as well start. Mom probably doesn't remember half of it anyway."

"Well, this should be interesting," Paige said, putting down the section of the paper she had been reading.

She was halfway done by the time Molly walked into the kitchen, her hair brushed but still in her pajamas, which didn't really matter since mostly everyone else was still in their assorted pajamas anyway. As those gathered turned to stare at her, she gave a weak wave. "'Morning, everybody."

Shuffling to the kitchen, she paused as she was about to pass Jack. She then wrapped him in a hug.

"'Morning, Mom," Jack sighed, giving her a hug with the same intensity as the one he'd given Fi. Knowing that they'd talk later, he didn't argue when she went over to the table and sat down next to Phoebe.

After greetings were once again exchanged, Fi continued with her story, this time with help from Molly. Once they were done, all sat in reflective silence.

Paige was the first to say something. "So Fi, you now how the power of sight, molecular combustion, _and_ freezing time? And Molly has premonitions, telekinesis, and can read minds. Couple that with the Power of Two…whoa."

"That's been bugging me too," Phoebe confessed. "When we got our powers, we developed one at a time. And we don't have that much power. Two-thirds of mine are passive, and Piper only has two."

After thinking a moment, Leo explained, "Well, I think when Fi unlocked her power, she inadvertently unlocked _all_ of the power that goes along with the Power of Two, which would include Molly's. My guess is that while they came out strong, after some time they'll fade until each has one active power – probably either one of the three main ones, freezing time, telekinesis, or premonitions. Then, after an acceptable amount of time has passed, Molly and Fi will _slowly_ develop their other powers."

"How do you _know_ all this?" Clu asked in amazement.

Chuckling, Leo answered, "I used to be a whitelighter, remember? You pick up a few things."

"Well, needless to say, I'm proud of you two," Piper said, smiling at both Fi and Molly. "I know I doubted you guys at first, but you really proved me wrong. Especially you, Fi. You stayed clear-headed in the face of a very powerful demon."

Nodding in agreement, Phoebe added, "You really had your work cut out for you. I remember our first vanquish was just a warlock."

"Thanks," Fi replied, blushing. "It wasn't that bad once we figured out how to tap into the Power of Two."

Molly gave a short laugh. "Not that bad? I'll be the first to admit I was _terrified_ the entire time. It will be a long while before I'm ready to tackle another demon like that."

"Well, yeah. It's safe to say I'm not looking to fight any demons any time soon," Fi replied. "But I'm just saying it was great to use the Power of Two. Just to see what it was like."

"It's cool, isn't it?" Paige sighed.

Giving Paige a sympathetic smile, Piper said, "You probably won't have to fight any demons for a while. If what we read in the Book is right, then Spiro was the next in line to become the Source. Chances are that the Underworld is in chaos right now, with demons too concerned with taking Spiro's' spot to try to attack you. It usually happens when an upper level demon is vanquished."

"Uh, guys?" Jack asked, on the verge of losing his appetite. It was a shame, too – the pancakes looked delicious. "Can we _not_ talk about demons at the breakfast table?"

Phoebe chuckled. "We'll try, but I'm not promising anything."

* * *

Some time later, in need of a quiet place away from the noise twelve people can create, Jack found himself in the manor attic. At first he was hesitant to go in…with all the magical supplies and the Book of Shadows, the place gave him the creeps. But since there was nowhere else to go, excluding going back to the hotel, he'd settled on sitting on the attic couch with his knees pulled up to his chest, staring out the front windows.

He'd made sure to kick his sneakers off before settling down. Something told him that Piper would not appreciate dirt marks on her sofa.

Sighing, Jack thought that it was nice to finally have some time to himself after the chaos of the last week and a half. It hadn't been easy to sneak up to the attic though. With the demon defeated, everyone was going back to their normal routine. The sisters were at their respective jobs, and Leo was volunteering after Fi and Clu had offered to baby-sit Wyatt and Chris. His mom and the rest of the Bells would be leaving for practice for a local gig they'd had scheduled as part of the tour.

His sister and Clu tried to rope him into babysitting too – after all, keeping an eye on two toddlers who also had magical powers was no easy feat – but he managed to get out of it for the time being. He needed some time to sort through the various thoughts in his head and Clu, ever the perceptive one, had let him go without too much protest.

Figuring it wouldn't be long before Fi tracked him down, Jack began to sort through his feelings, which was never something he looked forward to in the first place.

_Okay, where should I begin?_ He thought sarcastically. _College, the fact that my family doesn't need me anymore, or that they're going to be attacked by demons all the time and there's nothing I can do about it? _

"Jack?"

_What's Mom still doing here?_ Jack mused, not without some bitterness. He was still a little angry with her. He now realized that there was no way she could have fended off an powerful demon on her own. However, after talking with Fi some time ago he found out how Molly kept some secrets that she shouldn't have. Like what happened to their father's soul.

And on a different note, Jack couldn't help but feel that…she'd teamed up with Fi somehow. Before this whole witch thing, it was her and him against Fi, against whatever "supernatural beings" she'd come across. He knew it was wrong to feel this way but now it was as if she'd deserted him and joined the other camp, leaving him out in the cold, the only one who still wanted a normal life.

"Jack?" Molly was in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "Just wanted to let you know we're leaving now. We should be back in time for dinner."

"Okay," Jack replied, only glancing back at her for a brief second before looking back towards the window.

Instead of taking that as the hint it was, Molly walked further into the room. "Are you alright, baby?"

"How did you know I was here?" Jack asked, purposely not answering her question.

Molly sat down next to him on the couch. "Clu's got a big mouth."

"I'm gonna kill him," Jack muttered.

"You know, I almost didn't believe him," Molly went on. "Considering what's in here and everything…"

Shrugging, Jack replied, "There was nowhere else to go. Speaking of going, don't you have practice?"

"I do, but Jack, we need to talk…" Molly pleaded, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He felt the shock of power that followed, and from the astonished look on his mother's face he knew she had as well. He didn't even have to ask. Somehow he just knew that she had read every last one of his thoughts. Whatever he'd been about to internally debate, she had sensed.

_Good, at least she saved herself the trouble of having to drag it out of me,_ Jack thought with some resentment. He was still adjusting to the fact that he would never have any privacy again.

Giving her a few seconds to process his thoughts, he then snapped, "Well?"

"Oh, baby, why didn't you tell someone?" Molly asked, wrapping him in a hug.

Jack pulled himself away from her and sat up, putting his feet on the floor. "I talked to Carey and Clu about it a little. And I would've tried to talk to you. But with all the demonic stuff going on it…just didn't seem important."

"That's not true," Molly protested.

In a mocking gesture Jack held up both his palms. "Saving the world from evil, helping me make decisions about college…hmm…"

"I know it…may _seem_ like fighting demons is more important than you sometimes," Molly began. "But that's not the case. Baby, if I had to chose between you or magic, I'd give up every last power I have."

Jack made a conscious effort not to roll his eyes. "Mom, I know _that_, but I just have to face the fact that there are going to be times where vanquishing the next demon will be more important than whatever I'm doing."

"Well, I'm not going to lie, I'm sure there will be times when magical duties come first," Molly conceded. "But it's something you'll have to deal with. Something _we all_ will have to deal with. Trust me, the last think I want is to be a big powerful 'Charmed One.' If I had a choice, I wouldn't be. But I don't. It's something Fiona and I have to do. Were chosen to do. In fact, I don't even think Fi wants this."

Giving a short laugh, Jack huffed, "Please. This is everything she's ever wanted."

"I really don't think so," Molly admitted. "I've been getting some…vibes from her. I think that this is a little more responsibility and involvement with the supernatural than even she hoped for. If _she_ had a choice, I think, she'd go back to having mini-adventures with ghosts and aliens."

This time, Jack's laugh was genuine. "Ghosts and aliens…you know, I think when we get back on the road we should apologize to Fi. We gave her a hard time about her 'hobby' over the years."

"Don't I know it. How much you want to bet that she's going to rub it in too," Molly sighed.

Chuckling, Jack fell silent. He did feel a bit better after his mother's assurances, and had to admit that she'd known the right thing to say…probably due to her newfound psychic abilities. There were still a few things he wanted to talk about though.

"Mom, if I go to college…away, I mean…" Jack began, knowing the thought was stupid the minute he started saying it. "…never mind."

"What?" Molly pressed.

Jack let out a deep breath. "Will you and Fi forget about me if I go away to college?"

Her jaw dropping, Molly blurted, "_What_?"

"I know, it's stupid," Jack admitted. "But I can't help but think that you and Fi will get so wrapped up in your whole magical world that…"

"Jack, how can you even think that?" Molly exclaimed, wrapping him in another hug. "Of course we'll miss you…_so_ much! In fact, feel free to go to a local college, because I don't know if I'm going to be able to take it…oh, how could you even _think_…I mean, really…"

This time returning her embrace, Jack replied, "Okay, okay, I guess I got carried away a little. I have to admit, I was going to take a year off of college so I could go with you on the tour…"

"What _tour_? Jack, have you seen the bus?" Molly replied.

"Well, this was _before_ you and Fi had it out…" Jack explained, then instantly regretted his choice of words when she tensed. "Sorry, I meant…"

"It's okay," Molly said.

"But I think I will go away to college now. I've already been accepted to a few places," Jack revealed, relaxing when she gave a proud smile. "And I think I will dorm…if for the sole purpose of preserving my sanity."

"Oh, Jack," Molly laughed. She then looked at her watch. "Well, I have to get to practice. And you should probably go help Clu and Fi. Last time I checked, they were playing an involuntary game of 'orb-and-go-seek' with Wyatt."

"'Orb-and-go-seek'? Oh boy…" Jack muttered, reluctantly following his mother out of the attic.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"I'm nervous, Paige."

Giving him a comforting smile, Paige assured him, "I'm sure it's nothing bad."

"Have you _met_ the Elders?" Rick asked, panic in his tone. He and Paige were on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Soon after being released from his prison, the Elders had called for a meeting. And since Paige was the whitelighter working on this case, she was invited to come as well.

If Rick had a body, he would have been sweating in every place it was possible to sweat. Experience taught him that any time an Elder requested a meeting, it was not just a social call.

"Well, the way I see it," Paige answered, interrupting his inner chaos. "You're a ghost already. It's not like they can kill you."

Glaring at her, Rick snapped, "Thanks. You always know just the right thing to say."

"I thought it was," Paige shrugged, narrowing her eyes at him.

Rick forced himself to take several deep calming breaths. The whitelighter was probably anxious too. For him, at least. She had no reason to fear a meeting with an Elder. After all, it was her charges who vanquished the demon next in line to be the Source.

"I hear congratulations are in order."

They both jumped, so wrapped up in their thoughts that they didn't even notice Elder Sandra orb in. Gulping down the lump in his throat, he waited for her to continue.

"I'm sorry to startle you," Sandra chuckled, and when she stopped there was a smile on her face.

Rick wasn't sure if that relaxed him or made him more nervous. "No, we're sorry, we should have been prepared."

"Don't be so frightened," Sandra replied, noting the tenseness in the air. "I assure you, I only bring good news."

Paige audibly sighed. "Whew, that's a relief."

"You? Why would you worry?" Sandra laughed. "Why, everyone is rejoicing over what your charges did. To be honest, many of us thought that Molly and Fiona would not survive the battle. We are all very impressed, both with the way you handled them and how they used their abilities."

"Y-you…you all thought my family was going to die?" Rick sputtered, trying to conceal his offense.

Shaking her head, Sandra assured him, "No, no, do not take that the wrong way. We were not doubting Molly and Fiona, specifically. Spiro was a formidable opponent to any witch, no matter how much power or experience they may possess."

"Oh….well, in that case, no offense taken," Rick muttered in embarrassment.

Giving Rick a sympathetic glance, Paige said, "Look, not that we're not totally honored by your praise and all that, but there's the matter of why you called this little meeting."

"Ah, yes, of course," Sandra responded. Then she turned to Rick. "Now, I know that you have been led to believe that you were reverted to your ghost form as punishment."

"L-led…_led_ to believe?" Rick blurted.

Sandra nodded. "We are sorry, but it had to be done. Yes, you orbed down to see Molly when we specifically warned you not to, but normally when that rule is broken we cast a spell to make it impossible for the whitelighter to orb to their loved one. Not turn them into a ghost."

"What are you saying?" Paige asked.

"That it was all part of a plan. Part of an elaborate plan set up by the Elders to make your job easier," Sandra answered, looking at Paige. "We knew that Molly would never come around and fight Spiro unless Rick was in danger. Turning him into a ghost, sending Molly the vision..."

Rick gaped at her. "I was _bait_? You _used_ me so my wife would fight some powerful demon? How could…"

"Now is not the time," Paige whispered to him under her breath.

Grimacing, Sandra explained, "Like I said, I'm sorry. But you must understand, Rick. If Molly had not fought the demon, he would have killed her and Fiona." When Rick quieted down, she continued, "Though we recognize that you were put through much emotional grief. And that you did play a part, albeit unknowingly, in vanquishing Spiro. Therefore, we find it a fitting reward that you be restored to your former position."

Grinning from ear to ear, Rick exclaimed, "You mean I get to be a whitelighter again?"

"Rick, that's awesome! Congratulations!" Paige enthused.

Smiling, Sandra added, "Not only that, but we are granting you permission to visit Molly, Fiona, and Jack. One last time."

"Oh my…" Rick gasped, overwhelmed by feelings of happiness and gratitude. "T-thank you! Thank you so much."

"It is our pleasure. Now, prepare yourself," Sandra ordered. When Paige stepped back, Sandra held out her hand.

Then there was a blinding white light. When it faded, Rick was in the manor dining room, next to a confused Paige, watching his daughter, son, and their friend comically try to get a handle on two toddlers.

Blinking, he turned to Paige. "W-what…what happened?"

"You're a whitelighter again!" Paige cried, looking at his now-solid form.

"I am?" Rick echoed, glancing down at himself. Even without doing so, though, he could tell. He felt…whole. He then whispered almost to himself, "I can't believe it…"

Giving him a quick hug, Paige broke away and headed into the foyer. "Well, I'm going to go track my sisters down and tell them what happened. Good luck!"

"Bye, Paige. And thanks for the support," Rick replied. He stood in the doorway, watching Fiona, Jack and Clu for a few more minutes. Then he took a deep breath and stepped into the living room.

* * *

Arriving at the manor, Molly got out of the van and headed towards the front door. She was followed by Irene, Ned, and Carey, and practice for the concert that night had ended a little over a half hour ago. Molly was tired from so much rehearsal after the battle, but it was a happy kind of tired. "It was so nice to be on stage again. I think I needed to do something normal after last night."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about dragging you out to rehearsal today," Irene replied. "But we had it booked…"

Molly gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Irene, I'm okay. I really did need to sing again. Although I _am_ now going to collapse on Piper's couch and nap until the smell of dinner cooking wakes me up."

"I hear you," Carey chuckled.

Laughing, Ned commented, "Mol, you were really good on that stage today. It's too bad we have to cancel the rest of the tour."

Molly sighed, thinking of the tour that she had actually been looking forward to. Realizing she was at the front door, she raised her hand and knocked. "I know what you mean, I'm going to…"

Trailing off as the door surprisingly swung open, Molly walked toward the living room, the others following her. "Fi? Jack? Clu? Where are…oh my God."

Her children and their friend were frozen in shock, standing in the middle of the room with Wyatt and Chris wreaking havoc around them. However, Molly's gasp was not due to the mess the toddlers were making, but to the man standing across from them.

"R-rick?" She blurted, hardly believing her own eyes.

Rick whirled around, then waved. "Hi Molly. And Ned, Irene, Carey, Fiona, Jack, and Clu…wow, there are a lot of us."

"What…" Jack stuttered. "H-how…how can you _be_ here?"

Recovering from her shock, Fi added, "Yeah! Last time Mom and I saw you, you were a ghost…well, sort of…"

"I, uh, met with an Elder, and it's a long story, but she made me a whitelighter again," Rick answered, smiling.

Worried for his safety, Molly reminded him, "But isn't it against the rules for you to be here? Wasn't that what got you in trouble in the first place?"

"They gave me special permission," Rick informed her. Then, to her surprise, he came over and wrapped her in a hug. "God, I've missed you."

Molly felt herself melt in his arms. The feeling was familiar, at the same time so strange. _Stop tingling!_ She ordered herself. _He won't be around for long._ She forced her body to peel off his and cleared her throat. "I-I've missed you too."

"Hi, Daddy. Great to see you again!" Fi exclaimed, running toward him and wrapping her arms around him.

After breaking away from Fi, he turned to Jack. "Hey, Jack. Happy to see me?"

"Yeah, I think I am," Jack replied with a grin. He shook his father's hand, then gave up all attempts at a macho façade and hugged him.

Molly watched as he greeted each of the Bells, then asked, "So…how long can you stay?"

"Not long. I got my first assignment," Rick answered. It was clear that while he wanted to see his family, he was eager to start his new life as a whitelighter. And after hearing Piper and Leo's story, Molly knew that his "life" would include more than just tending to his charges.

She wasn't sure if she was okay with that yet.

Clearing her throat, Irene picked up Chris and headed toward the sunroom. "Well, it…it was nice to see you, Rick. But I think Ned, the boys and I should give you some privacy."

"Yeah, bye Mr. P!" Clu waved, then took Wyatt by the hand. "Come on, little dude. You gotta show me that floating thing you can do again."

Molly gave a soft chuckle as Wyatt ran after Clu. Then she watched as who she once considered her husband had a private talk with each of her children.

_I can't believe it,_ she thought, shaking her head as she sat on the steps in foyer while she waited. Looking at Rick through the doorway, she mused, _He's just so…alive. It's hard to imagine that that is the same person I buried over ten years ago._

And she knew he'd had to be buried because of her. _He…knew. It makes so much sense. He knew that Fiona and I were to be the Charmed Ones, and that we would have to risk our lives fighting Spiro. He then thought he could fight him by himself._

She didn't know quite when she'd arrived at that conclusion, but it was the only plausible explanation.

When he finally did come to stand in the doorway of the foyer, Molly was so lost in thought that she didn't realize he was there for a good few seconds. Therefore, she almost jumped up when he spoke.

"Hi."

Looking up at him, Molly had to ask. "You knew, didn't you? About Fiona and I?"

"Yes. Yes, I did," Rick admitted, sitting next to her on the stairs.

Surprised by how readily he confessed, Molly inquired, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have believed me? Especially after telling me not to get involved with the supernatural anymore?" Rick challenged. He wore no knowing smirk, but she could tell he thought he knew the answer.

"Yes…if you'd had proof…" Molly trailed off, then looked him in the eye. "No, I suppose I wouldn't have. But you could've at least tried to tell me."

Putting his head in his hand, Rick argued, "But every time I so much as said anything about my…work, we'd either start fighting or you'd storm off."

"That's because I thought it was ridiculous…" Molly paused. "Alright. I guess I could've been more open-minded. It's just, we'd be around the kids and you would start going on about demons…"

"We _both_ could've made compromises. But that wouldn't have changed what happened," Rick assured her.

Molly stared at him. "How can you say that? It would have changed…it would have…maybe you wouldn't have…okay, maybe it wouldn't have." Overcome with frustration, she slapped him upside the head. "How could you have _been_ so stupid?"

"W-hat?" Rick sputtered, rubbing the spot she'd hit.

Letting out a deep breath, Molly replied, "Sorry. But really, what made you think that you, a human, could survive a battle with an upper level demon?"

"W-well, I had help. One of my witch friends made up some potions for me," Rick explained, taking no notice when she raised an eyebrow. "And…I was so worried about my family that I wasn't exactly in my right frame of mind. Molly…please forgive me."

Gaping at him, Molly took some time to think. _How did he know?_ She wondered. All these years, one of the things preventing her from moving on was her anger at him for getting in the car that night. And then that led to frustration over the fact that she could never forgive him to his face.

Now here he was, asking her for forgiveness. Something she never thought could be possible.

"I….I…" Molly stopped, then looked at his hopeful face. "I do. I do forgive you. After all these years, I think I'm finally able to say that. And there's something else I've wanted to say."

Rick gave her a puzzled glance. "What?"

"That I love you. And no matter what happens, no one will ever be able to replace you in my heart," Molly answered, feeling an almost fifteen-year-old weight lift off her chest. "And…and I guess if you did fall in love with one of your charges, I'd be okay with that. Just don't tell Paige to tell me. I know for a fact that I wouldn't want to know."

"Same here. In the event that you do get married again," Rick replied, in a somewhat mocking tone.

Molly glared at him. "Hey! You don't think I'll ever remarry? What, I'm not a 'catch'?"

"No, it's just…it's been thirteen years, Mol," Rick explained.

_You've got to be kidding,_ Molly thought. _My dead husband is telling me to date more? God, if Irene found out about this I'd never hear the end of it._ "Well, thanks for the reminder. I guess I have been caught up with you and everything but…I think I will be much more open to the dating scene now. Happy?"

"Very," Rick laughed. Then he leaned in and kissed her. "I love you, Molly."

Molly kissed him back, then gave a content sigh when they broke apart. "I love you too. Good bye, Rick."

They stood up, and as if on cue Jack and Fi emerged from the living room. They could've been eavesdropping, but somehow Molly knew that they had just been able to tell.

Giving Rick one last hug, she went over to her children and put an arm around each of their shoulders.

"Good-bye," Rick said, waving. Then he orbed out, leaving his family standing in the foyer, all with tears in their eyes but not bothering to wipe them away.


	16. Epilogue

A/N: Omg, I'm soooo sorry for not updating! Honestly, I had this finished months ago and was putting up chapters every once in a while. Then today I was thinking of all the stories I have to finish and realized that I never posted this!

Anyway, this is officially the end, and I will probably not be returning to the So Weird section as I haven't seen it in a while, lol. So thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Enjoy!

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Boy, am I glad that's over," Paige remarked, taking a sip of her drink, It was two days later, and she, her sisters, and their respective husbands/boyfriend were lounging on their usual couch in P3. Since the rest of the tour was cancelled, Piper had made room for Molly to give an impromptu concert that night. The Phillips' and the Bells were dancing in front of the stage.

Sitting next to Leo, Piper shook her head at her sister's comment. "I don't think so, Paige. It's just the beginning."

"Yeah. I mean, we get our lives back!" Phoebe cheered, not taking her eyes off the stage. She was sitting on the edge of her seat, barely paying attention to her poor boyfriend Coop all evening.

About to protest, Paige was surprised when Leo beat her to the punch. "Didn't we try that?" Leo asked. "We had demon-free lives months ago, but it didn't work because we became bored."

"How'd that happen? Weren't you still Charmed Ones then?" Henry asked, wrinkling his brow in confusion.

Paige patted her husband on his shoulder. "I'll tell you the whole story later."

"I want to hear that story," Coop said, then cast an anxious glance at his girlfriend. "Though I think I will have to hear it from you. Phoebe will be too busy listening to PKB albums."

"You got that right," Phoebe agreed, dancing to the music in her seat.

Noting this, Coop asked, "I know I'll regret this, but…want to dance?"

"Come on!" Phoebe squealed, grabbing Coop's hand and dragging him onto the dance floor.

Almost falling out of his chair as she pulled him, Coop joked, "So I'll take that as a 'yes'?"

"Aw, they're so cute," Paige said, with the others nodding her heads in agreement. They sat in comfortable silence, and Paige found herself humming along to the music. _Molly really is a great performer,_ she thought. _I'm glad I'm her whitelighter. Free concerts, baby!_

After some more seconds of humming, she actually sang along when the chorus came up. "In the darkness, is the light…"

"I see Phoebe isn't the only Molly Phillips' fan," Piper smirked, watching her sister tap her foot to the music.

Chuckling, Henry replied, "What's wrong, Piper? Not having fun?"

"No, I am…I guess," Piper admitted. "I just don't know how any of you can focus on the music when our lives have been completely whirled around in the space of little more than a week."

"But isn't this what you've always wanted? A life without demons?" Leo reminded her, putting an arm around her shoulders in concern.

Her shoulders sagging, Piper answered, "Yes, but I keep thinking about what you said. About being bored. And I hate to say it, but I've almost gotten _used_ to storing extra potion ingredients and keeping one eye open while I sleep."

"But this is different," Paige reasoned. "Before, we were bored because we couldn't live the lives we had spent building for thirty or so years. And we didn't team up with Homeland Security solely because we were bored. We wanted our identities back, and we felt bad that we weren't helping innocents when we still had Charmed power."

Henry stared at her. "I find it hard to believe that there hasn't been _one_ time during our relationship where you could have told me all of this."

"Honey, there's a lot of stuff about me you don't know. And probably don't want to know. Get used to it," Paige retorted, kissing him on the cheek.

Casting a pleading glance at his fellow male, Henry begged, "A little help here, Leo?"

"Sorry, but I kind of agree with Paige," Leo answered with an apologetic smile.

Giving a small laugh when her sister made an overdramatic gesture of comforting her husband, Piper relaxed but was obviously still worried. "Yeah, I guess we do have it pretty good right now. But…what about Molly and Fi?"

"What about them?" Paige asked, distracted by the foot fight she was having with her husband under the table.

Rolling her eyes at Paige's obvious distraction, Piper pressed, "Aren't you worried about them? I mean, they're the _Charmed Ones_ now! Don't you remember what it was like being new to this? It's scary!"

"They'll have us, just like I had you," Paige replied. "They're tough, Piper. I can just tell. They'll have the entire Underworld fearing them in no time. And they have a lot of things going for them. Like, us as backup, real family _and_ an entire extended family for support…I think in time they'll be better Charmed Ones than we were."

"I don't know about that. We were pretty damn good," Piper huffed.

Leo gave her a placating kiss on the cheek. "Yes you were."

"Don't you forget it," Piper said, then let out a deep sigh. "Sorry guys, but you know me, can't help but worry. I guess I just need some time to get used to this. It came up very suddenly. Couldn't the Elders have given us a warning or something?"

Tilting her head, Paige answered, "Well, Elder Sandra kind of did. When she first gave me Molly and Fi as my assignments, she said they would be powerful, but not _this _powerful. I guess she wanted us to figure out some things by ourselves."

"Stupid Elders. Always so damn cryptic," Piper muttered.

Laughing, Paige replied, "Oh, I don't know. Sometimes it's nice being surprised."

Piper was about to respond, but she was interrupted when Molly finished her song and called everyone's attention to the stage.

"Hi, everybody, I hope you've been enjoying yourselves," Molly began, then waited for the following applause to die down. "That's great! Well, this next song is my last one of the night…" She paused again for the groans to stop. "And I did that on purpose. See, ever since I've arrived in San Francisco, I've experienced…life changing events, and met, well, interesting people."

Paige traded knowing smiles with her sister and Leo, at the same time wondering where her charge was going with her speech.

Clearing her throat, Molly continued, "At first, I could only focus on the past, and how I couldn't move on to this new experience because of it. Now, thanks to these people, and my family, I think I can finally let go. Which is why I think it's fitting to dedicate this next song to my family…and my new friends."

The music started to play, and Paige found herself truly touched. _I can't believe I did it_, she thought, remembering how stubborn Molly had been. _Molly really has accepted this magic thing. And me._

She almost didn't notice when Henry gently nudged her shoulder, "Hey, want to dance?"

"W-what?" Paige snapped out of her thoughts, then realized that Piper and Leo were already by the others on the dance floor. "Oh yeah, sure." They got up from their seats, and were soon moving to the up-tempo song.

Not long after Paige was singing along again while her husband spun her around. "Now I'm thinkin' about tomorrow, slamming the door on days gone by, leavin' my troubles, sayin' goodbye…"

* * *

Fi hummed the tune of "Thinkin' About Tomorrow" as she threw some last minute items into her bag. Though it was past noon, her movements were slow from fatigue and she had to pause her humming every once in a while to yawn. She was exhausted from dancing at her mom's concert all night, but it was a good kind of exhausted…far from the drained feeling she'd experienced after the fight.

"Fi go away?"

Surprised, Fi whirled around. She hadn't even realized that Wyatt had come in. Narrowing her eyes, she couldn't help but be a little wary. Experience taught her that the toddler wasn't as innocent as he seemed. "Um, yeah, Fi…I mean, I'm going away."

"Why?" Wyatt asked, going to look at the packed suitcase.

Still not letting her guard down, Fi answered, "Well, my mom and I vanq…I mean, kill…I…"

"Mommy said you vanquished the mean demon," Wyatt interrupted. "She, Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige do that a lot."

"Yes, I guess they did. But you don't have to worry about that anymore," Fi replied, trying not to be too amused that a small child talked about demons without even blinking.

Wyatt stared at her. "How come?

"Because that's my job now. And my mom's. They don't have to fight demons and make potions and save innocents…" Fi trailed off, feeling almost lightheaded. She sat down on the air mattress she'd been using, holding her head. _Oh boy. What'd I get myself into?_

Patting her on her knee, Wyatt assured her, "Don't worry, Fi.. You'll be okay. You've got your mommy to take care of you."

"You know what, Wyatt, you are a very smart little kid," Fi laughed.

Wyatt shrugged. "No. Mommies are supposed to take care of you. It's what they do. But sometimes I have to be a big boy and take care of Mommy."

"I bet you do," Fi responded.

After a second, Wyatt remarked, "I don't know how Mommy will like not vanquishing demons. That's all she does!"

"That's not _all_ I do!" Piper protested as she walked into the room, picked up her son, and made him laugh by tickling his belly. "There you are! I was wondering where you ran off to!"

Feeling like she was invading their privacy, Fi watched quietly for a few moments while Piper played with her son. She shook her head. "It's amazing."

"What is?" Piper asked.

"How you've managed to be the Charmed Ones for all these years and…not let it take over your lives," Fi explained.

"I'll admit it got challenging at times," Piper replied. "And once you realize you're a witch, it's part of who you are, not some hobby you can abandon any time you want. But…you learn. You realize that whatever plans you make could be interrupted by a demonic attack and…you deal."

"Oh," Fi said. _I hope I can do that_, she thought. While she'd been involved with the paranormal, it _had_ been somewhat of a hobby, something that ran her life _only_ because she'd let it.

Giving her a reassuring smile, Pipe replied, "But you can handle it. Remember – you have us."

"But you've _been_ the Charmed Ones already. You shouldn't have to spend your hard earned free time helping us," Fi objected.

Piper chuckled. "Please. Fi, we've been fighting demons for so long that I find it impossible that we'll be able to quit right away. It's a habit that's hard to break. Like smoking. You know it could kill you but you can't help yourself."

"Interesting comparison," Fi laughed. "But thanks.". Then she zipped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Her bigger suitcase was already downstairs in the foyer. Tickling Wyatt, she said, "I guess we better get downstairs."

"Fi!" Wyatt cried, holding his arms out.

_He really is a cute kid…even if he is super powerful,_ Fi thought, giving in and taking Wyatt in her arms. "Come on, kid. Boy you're heavy."

"He must have really had fun when you babysat him yesterday," Piper remarked. "He hasn't been able to stop talk about you and Clu."

"Yeah, _he_ had fun,'" Fi grumbled. However, she couldn't conceal her smile. Despite the difficulties, she really did enjoy babysitting, especially with Clu, who was like a big kid himself.

Piper laughed, then joked, "Well, if you need some extra cash, we're always looking for a babysitter. I'm sure Paige would be happy to orb you…"

Luckily Fi never had to give an answer. Carey had burst in the room, shock evident on his face. "You guys are never gonna believe this!"

"I doubt it," Piper smirked.

Carefully Fi balanced both Wyatt and her bag on her shoulder and followed Carey out of the room. Putting the toddler down once she reached the foyer, she ran outside to join the rest of her friends and family. "Oh, wow!"

Parked right in front of the manor was the tour bus. It was in pristine condition, showing no signs of the fire it had endured mere days ago.

Ned came down the bus stairs, rubbing his head in obvious confusion. "I don't get it," he said. "It's running perfectly, and the inside…all our stuff is there. It's a miracle."

"Or a thank-you note from the Elders," Phoebe suggested, sharing knowing smiles with her sisters.

"Yes! The tour is on, baby!" Carey cheered, pumping his fist. He calmed down when his mother glared at him. "No, baby?"

"I think that's up to Molly," Irene reminded him.

Hesitating, Molly gave the bus a good once-over. "You're sure it's working, Ned?"

"Positive. In fact, it's in better condition than before…the fire," Ned replied.

"Then I guess…" Molly trailed off, laughing as her kids, Carey and Clu gave her pleading looks. "We have no choice but to continue. Carson City, here we come!"

"You rock, Mrs. P!" Clu yelled, he and his brother exchanging high fives.

Irene and Ned smiled at each other, with Ned explaining, "I don't think we went off schedule too much. You just might not have as much rehearsal time as you usually do when we get there."

"With some good rescheduling, I think we can manage," Irene responded, already taking out her cell phone.

Giving her mother a quick hug, Fi ran back to the manor with the others to get their bags. Once everything was packed in the bus, they began saying their good-byes.

Though she was smiling, Fi couldn't help but feel a little sad as she hugged Piper. "Bye, Piper. Thanks for everything."

"No problem," Piper replied. "Just watch where you aim that fire power, okay?"

Chuckling, Fi nodded. She said good-bye to Phoebe, then Leo and the boys. Finally she stood in front of Paige Sighing, she admitted, "I'm gonna miss you, Paige."

"Please," Paige scoffed. "You're going to be calling for me so many times you'll get sick of me." As they hugged, her tone softened. "Be careful."

"I will," Fi promised.

The last ones to board the bus, Fi and Molly paused, watching the Halliwells walk back up the front path. Molly sighed, a small note of insecurity in her voice. "We'll be okay without them."

"Yeah, definitely." Fi nodded in agreement. About to board the bus, she stopped when she noticed that the Halliwells had left the front door open and sent a pointed look at her mother.

Molly waved her hand, and the door closed by itself.

Smiling at each other, Molly and Fi boarded the bus. The engine was started, and they began the long drive toward the next city on the tour.


End file.
